One Piece: Luffy and the Wolf
by XFangHeartX
Summary: My first fanfiction, so please be gentle! No flames or hate and stuff, either. Summary inside.
1. Prologue

Prologue

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me.

The sun laid beyond the horizon. The sky, as well as the sea beneath it, was a vivid orange. The clouds were pink and a bright lavender.

A huge ship was docked at the pier of Rivet Island. The figurehead was crafted to look like a snarling wolf, leaping out to catch its prey. The title of the ship was painted at the prow in golden letters: _The Wolf-Song_. The flag: a wolf gnawing on crossbones.

A young man, around 18 years old, approached an even taller man from behind.

The taller man looked like he was in his mid-30s. He had skin that was white as a sheet, and equally white hair. His eyes were a beautiful blue. He wore a pair of red pants, sandals, a purple striped shirt, and a green coat that dangled off his shoulders. Around his neck, there was a silver chain necklace with a skull-and-crossbones charm dangling off it.

"Captain Robby," the young man said, "we have to shove off, soon. The tide will change if we don't."

The captain nodded his head in understanding before he turned to face a woman who also looked like she was in her mid-30s. She wore a ten-gallon hat upon her blonde hair, a red sweatshirt that revealed a bit of her cleavage, and a pair of bellbottom pants. She appeared to have something cradled in her arms.

"Well," Robby began, "this is it, Hillary."

"I completely understand," Hillary said.

Robby looked at the thing Hillary's arms.

It was a little puppy, no older than 14 months of age. The puppy had snowy white fur and eyes as pink as cherry blossoms. His appearance is…wolf-like.

Robby smiled sadly at the pup before he gently pet him on the head.

"Sorry, Blizzard," he apologized, "but I'm afraid that this one voyage you'll have to sit out on."

The puppy just tilted his head, as if what he heard was too hard to comprehend.

"I know it's a bit hard to understand," explained Robby, "but this is for your own good. It's been a lot of fun, though, having you around. I mean it. I just can't risk losing you."

Blizzard, finally getting the message, folded his ears and looked away, as if he were disappointed. Robby, still with a sad smile, sighed before he undid his chain and then fastened it around the pup's neck.

"Here," he said. "Keep this with you. Think of it as a reminder of our friendship."

Blizzard seemed to perk up, then, but Robby could still see that he was sad to see him go.

"Wait for me for as long as it takes," Robby said. "I'll be back…I promise."

Blizzard reached up and licked Robby's nose, making him chuckle before he looked to Hillary, who also wore a sad smile upon her face.

"Be safe," she whispered.

Robby wrapped his arms around Hillary, and then gently pressed his lips against hers in a short but passionate kiss. With that, he turned away and boarded his ship.

"Let's shove off, men!" he ordered. "We're off to find the treasure of Gold Roger! The One Piece!"

"Aye!" the crew yelled.

And so, the ship sailed off into the open sea of the Grand Line. Blizzard jumped out of Hillary's arms and ran to the edge of the pier, and then stopped, and then sat there on his haunches. He didn't try to jump into the water and chase after the ship, nor did he howl for Robby in hopes that he would change his mind and come back for him. He just sat there…

Waiting.


	2. Ch 1: The Storm

Ch. 1: The Storm

One Piece © Oda.

Blizzard © Me.

Summary- Three weeks after rescuing Robin from the clutches of Enies Lobby, Luffy and the crew stop to rest at Rivet Island after escaping another storm. There, they meet Mayor Hillary, the mayor of the island, and Blizzard, a white, half-Husky, half-wolf hybrid. As a puppy, Blizzard was left in Hillary's care while his master, Robby Rivet, and his pirate crew, went on a voyage to find the One Piece without him, and ever since, Blizzard has been waiting for three years for his return. Learning that Blizzard is an outcast, like himself, Luffy decides to try and befriend him. However, is Blizzard willing to let him?

It was a dark and stormy night…

**BA-BOOM! FLASH!** Thunder rumbled and lightning cracked the sky. The waves in the sea had gotten rough. The wind blew harder and harder. Rain began to pour down upon the ship known as the _Thousand Sunny_, and the crew on board, the notorious Straw Hat Pirates, were currently fighting the storm.

It has been three weeks since the crew had rescued a very valuable friend from the clutches of Enies Lobby. One had returned after a fight, another had been lost forever, but two more were gained in her place.

"Cat Burglar" Nami barked out orders as everyone scrambled around the ship.

"Demon Child" Nico Robin, using her Devil Fruit powers, managed to furl the sails.

The captain, Monkey D. "Straw Hat" Luffy tied down everything to make sure they wouldn't fall off the ship or get blown away by the wind, with Usopp's help.

"LUFFY!" Usopp cried. "YOU TIED MY HANDS DOWN BY MISTAKE!"

"Sorry!" apologized Luffy.

"Cyborg" Franky went down below deck to secure what he could.

"Black Leg" Sanji took the helm to try and keep the ship steady.

As for "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro, he was currently busy trying to pry a scared-out-of-his-mind Tony-Tony "Cotton Candy Lover" Chopper from his face.

"CHOPPER!" snapped Zoro. "LEGGO OF ME! THIS IS NO TIME TO PANIC!"

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Chopper screamed at the top of his lungs.

Nami tried to stay calm, but it was hard to keep her nerves together with every storm that hit in the Grand Line. She had to admit, even she, the navigator who knew everything about predicting weather, got scared every time this happened.

Suddenly, she heard a small clicking sound. Looking down at her Log Pose, she saw that the needle was pointing to the east. She gasped. There must be an island with a strong magnetic pull nearby.

"Sanji!" Nami called out to the blonde-haired chef. "Turn the ship to 3 o'clock, now! There's an island there where we can dock the ship!"

"Right away, Nami!" Sanji cried, lovingly before he steered the ship to the east.

Now, there was only one thing left to do, now…

Nami stomped on the deck.

"Franky!" she called. "Prepare a Coup de Burst, on the double!"

Down in the Energy Room, Franky had a gleam in his eye and three barrels of cola at the ready.

"Way ahead of you, sis!" Franky called back.

The back cannon began to glow.

"Brace yourselves, everyone!" Nami called.

Luffy put his hands to his hat to keep it from blowing away, giggling.

"Oh, man," he said. "This is gonna be so cool!"

"Coup de BURST!" Franky yelled.

**BLOW!** The _Thousand Sunny_ went flying towards the East, the Straw Hats screaming, but Luffy mostly cheering, the whole way.

Little did they know that where they were headed, the crew would meet another misfit…


	3. Ch 2: Meet Blizzard

**Ch. 2: Meet Blizzard**

XXX

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

XXX

The Straw Hats reached their destination with little trouble. They were now docked at a pier of the island the Log Pose had brought them to. Upon getting there, Sanji realized that they had to stock up on food again. Not only that, but Franky had to make a few repairs that he didn't notice until now. Nami decided not to think about that now and decided to worry about where they were going to rest for the night, how long the log for this island sets, and where to get some more ink for her maps.

As the crew disembarked the ship, Luffy saw something from the corner of his eye. Looking to his left, he saw…a dog, sitting in front of a rather large house.

"Hey, look!" exclaimed Luffy. "There's a dog over there!"

The Straw Hats followed Luffy's gaze and saw the dog in the distance, sitting in the pouring rain, all by itself.

"What's a dog doing in the middle of the rain?" Chopper asked to no one in particular.

"Who the hell cares?" Zoro scoffed. "The dog can do whatever the hell it wants. It's not bothering anyone."

"I agree with Zoro," said Nami. "For all we know, it could be a wild stray."

"C'mon, Luffy," Usopp said to Luffy before he noticed that the boy had just disappeared.

"Where's Straw Hat?" Franky asked.

Robin was the first to spot the captain…approaching the dog.

"He's walking up to that dog," she said, gaining everyone's attention.

"Luffy!" Nami called. "Come back here!"

"Leave the dog alone!" Usopp added.

Luffy didn't listen. He stood in front of the dog and got a closer look at him.

He was a big dog, male on closer inspection. He was not as big as a Great Dane, but Boxer-sized. He had fur as white as snow, and had eyes as pink as newly-bloomed cherry blossoms in the Spring. His ears were pricked, like a Husky dog's. Around his neck was a shimmering silver chain necklace with a skull-and-bones charm dangling from it.

For some odd reason, the dog didn't seem to notice Luffy, at all. He just sat there, watching the horizon, letting the rain drench his fur.

"Hey, dog!" Luffy called. "What are you looking at? Why don't you move or something?"

No response. No movement, whatsoever. Luffy waved his hand in front of the dog's face. Still no movement. The dog didn't even blink!

"LUFFY!" Nami called to him. "Leave the dog alone and c'mon! If you don't, I'm gonna come over there and hit you!"

Luffy paid no heed to Nami's warning. He just continued to pester the dog by repeatedly poking his nose and pulling his ears.

"Maybe he's dead," Luffy said to himself before he prodded the dog in the nose one last time.

** CHOMP!** The very-much-alive dog opened his mouth and then snapped it shut on Luffy's left wrist, his sharp fangs sinking into the rubber-man's flesh.

"AAAAAAAHH!" Luffy screamed as he tried to pull his arm away. "HELP! GET HIM OFF! HE'S GONNA EAT ME ALIVE!"

"Dammit, Luffy!" Zoro cursed before he and the others rushed to Luffy's aid. While Nami, Franky, Robin, and Chopper tried to pull Luffy away, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp grabbed the dog to try and get him to let go.

"Get him off, get him off, GET HIM OFF!" Luffy yelled.

"We're trying!" said Nami.

"This isn't easy, you know!" Chopper said.

Zoro took Kitetsu III and slipped it underneath the dog's upper jaw, using it like a crowbar to try and pry it lose, but it wouldn't budge.

"Damn dog!" he cursed. "This is like trying to pull a bear trap from a bear!"

"HEY!" shouted a feminine voice. "Stop that! Leave Blizzard alone!"

The Straw Hats looked up and saw a woman come out of the house with an umbrella. She looked like she was in her late-30s. She wore a ten-gallon-hat upon her blonde hair that went down to her shoulder blades, a pair of high-waters, and a mahogany sweater that revealed a bit of her cleavage.

Sanji couldn't help but swoon.

"You heard me!" the woman said. "Let Blizzard go, now!"

The Straw Hats complied and let go of the dog, introduced as Blizzard.

"That goes for you, too, Blizzard!" the woman said. "Let that boy go, this instant!

Blizzard made a soft growl before he reluctantly let Luffy go. At that moment, Luffy saw that the dog had a forceful bite, for his wrist was bleeding heavily.

"Oh, no!" Chopper squeaked. "Luffy's wrist is bleeding really bad! SOMEONE, GET A DOCTOR!"

"_You're_ the doctor!" the crew shouted, except Robin.

"Oh, yeah," said Chopper.

"Bad dog, Blizzard," the woman scolded. "Is that how you greet visitors to our island, now? Biting their hands? You know better than that!"

The dog folded his ears and lowered his head submissively.

Luffy giggled at the woman and Blizzard.

"What's so funny?" Nami asked.

"The lady reminds me of you," answered Luffy, "only the lady doesn't hit like you do."

** BONK!** Nami laid a punch on the poor captain's head, causing a bump to form.

"OW~!" Luffy whined. "Like that…!"

"I'm sorry about Blizzard," the woman apologized. "He doesn't take too well to strangers, but once he gets to know you, he's just fine."

"Well that's good to know," Nami said.

"I'm Mayor Hillary Rivet," the woman introduced herself. "Welcome to Rivet Island."

Sanji immediately approached the woman, introduced as Hillary.

"The pleasure is mine," he said, suavely before he gently kissed her hand, "your honor."

Zoro sucked his teeth.

"Love-machine…" he whispered.

** GRR~!** The Blizzard growled at the chef.

"Blizzard, be nice," Hillary scolded, again, before she looked up to the Straw Hats. "Listen, why don't you all come into my mansion? It's freezing out here, plus I just made some hot stew."

"Good idea," Luffy said, rubbing his growling stomach. "I'm starving."


	4. Ch 3: Blizzard's Story

**Ch. 3- Blizzard's Story**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

The Straw Hats entered Hillary's mayoral house. It appeared to be bigger inside than it did outside. The mansion had a master's bedroom, five bathrooms, three guest rooms, a kitchen, a dining hall, a patio on the third floor, and on the roof, a swimming pool that was 15 ft wide and 12 ft deep, as well as a lookout tower.

In the dining hall, the crew was currently enjoying the stew that had been made. Luffy, who had his wrist bandaged, had just finished his 12th bowl.

"Your friend has a rather big appetite," Hillary said, somewhat impressed.

"We know," Nami said in annoyance.

Luffy, apparently still hungry, held out his bowl.

"More, please," he said.

**WHAP! BONK!** Nami laid a hard punch on Luffy's head while Sanji kicked him.

"NO MORE FOR YOU!" they said in unison.

Luffy rubbed the bumps forming on his head. It was then that he decided that he was full, anyway.

"So, Miss Mayor-" Chopper began, addressing to Hillary before she cut him off.

"Oh, please," Hillary said, "just call me Hillary."

"Okay, Hillary," Chopper said. "The dog outside. Blizzard, right?"

"Yes," answered Hillary.

"What's he doing outside in the rain?" asked the reindeer. "Shouldn't he be inside?"

"Well, yes," Hillary answered, "but I can't get him to come inside. He won't come in for the life of him."

"Why not?" Luffy asked.

"Err…let's not's not talk about it," Hillary said, rather hesitantly. "Now, tell me, who are you and what brings you to our island?"

"Well, we're the-" Luffy began before Nami bopped him on the head and then covered his mouth.

"Don't tell her who we are, you moron!" she whispered, sharply. "If she finds out who we are, she'll call the Marines on our ass!"

"Don't tell me," Hillary said. "You're pirates, aren't you?"

The crew looked at the mayor in surprise.

"How did you figure it out?" asked Nami.

"I saw your ship from my lookout tower," explained Hillary. "To be honest, when I saw it, I thought you might've been my husband."

"Husband…?" Sanji repeated before he slumped into a heap of depression, much to Zoro's inner delight.

Hillary, on the other hand, seemed saddened. She placed her hand on the nearby window as she watched the rain slide down the glass, but mostly at Blizzard, who was still sitting outside.

"Poor Blizzard," she whispered.

"What's wrong with him?" Chopper asked. "Is he sick or something?"

"No," answered Hillary. "Actually, I guess you could say he is sick, in a way."

"What's wrong with him?" Robin asked.

"Well, it's like this," explained Hillary, "Blizzard's not really my dog. His real owner is my husband."

"If Blizzard's your husband's dog," Nami began, "then why isn't your husband here?"

"I already told you, my husband's a pirate," Hillary said. "His name is Robby Rivet, an albino man with a bounty of 78,000,000 Berries, and Blizzard was his very best friend."

"Are you sure that dog out there is a dog?" Franky asked.

"Yeah," added Usopp. "He looks more like a wolf than a dog."

Hillary sighed.

"Well, Blizzard is a…wolf-dog."

A pause came…before Luffy interrupted the silence.

"So why's he sitting out there?" he asked.

"Robby and his crew went out on a voyage," Hillary answered.

"To where?" asked Nami.

"To the other half of the Grand Line and search what all pirates are looking for," explained Hillary. "The legendary treasure of Gold Roger: the One Piece."

Luffy remained quiet.

"Blizzard was a puppy when he joined Robby's crew," Hillary explained, "but out of nowhere, Robby decided to leave him here, saying it would be safer for him. Robby promised he'd come back for him, someday, and ever since then, Blizzard's been waiting for three years."

The room fell silent again except for the sound of the rain pattering against the window and the thunder still rolling.

**SLAM!** Nami threw a fist down on the table.

"That's so wrong!" she exclaimed. "How could he just leave his dog like that? For all we know, he could've abandoned him, or worse! He could be dead!"

"As much as I hate to say it," Hillary began, "I'm afraid you might be right. Robby hasn't been answering my letters or calls. He hasn't even written to me or called me to tell me how he is, either. I'm starting to think that's the only explanation, but I'm afraid that if that were the case, Blizzard would refuse to believe it…all I can do is hope that he comes home, soon. That would make Blizzard so happy."

The Straw Hats just glanced at each other.

Just then, Hillary turned to the crew.

"Anyway," she said, "you're all welcome to stay for as long as you like."

"That's very nice of you, Mayor Hillary," said Nami, "but we're only here to gather supplies and make repairs. How long does the log for this island set?"

"The log?" Hillary repeated before he put a finger to her chin in thought. "Let me see…I believe the log sets in…8 days."

"I see," Nami said before she stood from her seat, stretching and yawning. "Well, I think I better turn in for the night. Coming, Robin?"

"Sure," the archeologist said. "I'm getting a bit tired, myself."

As the two girls exited the dining hall, Sanji followed behind, doting.

"Wait for me, ladies!" he said.

Luffy stood up from his seat with a yawn, too.

"I think I'll hit the sack, too," Luffy said before he turned to Hillary, bowing his head, formally. "Thanks for the food."

Chopper followed Luffy's example and bowed his head, too.

"Yes, thank you," he said.

Hillary only smiled.


	5. Ch 4: Kindness

**Ch. 4- Kindness**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

Later that night, the rain still went on, and the Straw Hats had gone into the three separate guest rooms. Nami and Robin shared the first room due to there only being two beds in it, Zoro, Sanji, and Franky had the second, and Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were in the third. As for Hillary, she had retired into the master bedroom.

**GRR~! **An eerie growling noise reverberated from one of the guest rooms.

In the third guest room, Luffy sat up in bed with his hands over his stomach. Usopp and Chopper were in the beds besides him, their arms crossed and their eyes narrowed in an irritated manner.

**STOMP! STOMP!** Nami, from the room above them, stomped her foot on the floor.

"Luffy!" she yelled. "Shut your stomach up and go to sleep!"

"Yeah, Luffy," Usopp said. "You ate 2 hours ago! You can't be hungry, again!"

"But I still am," Luffy said.

"You ate a dozen bowls of stew!" exclaimed Usopp.

"It wasn't enough!" Luffy complained.

"Usopp, let's face it," Chopper chimed in. "With Luffy's stomach growling so much, we'll never get any sleep!"

Luffy's stomach started rumbling, again, as if it were agreeing with Chopper's statement.

A few minutes later, after getting lost in the big house for a bit, Luffy and Chopper, who decided that he was a bit hungry, too, had made it to the kitchen.

Luffy reached into the cupboard and got two bowls: one for himself and one for Chopper. He then took a ladle and poured some stew from the pot to Chopper's bowl, and then poured some into his.

"Let's eat!" Luffy exclaimed as he and Chopper tapped their bowls together like they were drinking mugs of ale. While Chopper ate his stew with a spoon, Luffy just slurped his up.

**BOOM! FLASH!** Thunder roared and lighting flashed, again, frightening Chopper into hiding behind Luffy's legs in his "reverse peek".

"I thought the storm would be over with, by now!" Chopper squeaked.

Luffy, however, was silent. Upon being reminded of the storm, he just remembered something: Blizzard was still outside. Taking the ladle, the Straw Hat captain poured some stew into another bowl, and then headed out the kitchen, going down the hall that led to the front door.

"Luffy," Chopper called, "where are you going?"

Luffy didn't answer him. When he got to the front door, he took an umbrella from a holder and then opens it up before going outside. Chopper just followed behind him.

There Blizzard was, laying atop of some wet soil, asleep. His fur was drenched from the pouring rain.

Luffy just smiled before he silently approached him so as not to wake him up. He set the umbrella over Blizzard, who had just then decided to wake up. The wolf-dog seemed surprised to see Luffy there, setting the bowl of stew in front of him.

"Hey!" Luffy said, smiling. "Sorry about poking you earlier."

Blizzard furrowed his brow at Luffy before he turned away, making a soft growl.

"He said, 'No hard feelings.'" Chopper translated.

Luffy reached his hand to Blizzard, attempting to pet him, but the wolf-dog snarled and growled at him, forcing to retract his hand.

"I don't think he trusts you that much, yet, Luffy," said Chopper. "Listen, we better go back inside. If Nami sees us, we're both gonna be in a lot of trouble."

"You got a point, there," Luffy agreed before he turned to Blizzard with a smile. "Goodnight, boy!"

Blizzard just watched as Luffy headed inside, and then back at Chopper, who also smiled at him before he waved his hoof to him.

"Goodnight!" the reindeer chirped before he followed Luffy back inside, closing the door behind him.

Blizzard just sat there, watching the door, but then looked down at the stew that Luffy had left for him. He just didn't understand it. Why would a human like Luffy leave him food and an umbrella to sleep under even though he was bitten by him? It didn't make sense to him in the least.

No other human being had ever shown him kindness like that.

Back inside, Luffy was wringing the rain water from his clothes as he and Chopper headed back to their room.

"Uh, hey, Luffy?" Chopper asked.

"Hmm?" Luffy hummed.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Leave Blizzard that umbrella and that bowl of stew."

"'Cause I felt like it," Luffy answered.

"But he bit you," Chopper said.

"So?" Luffy inquired. "I'm not mad at him, anymore."

Chopper just stared at Luffy, but then he smiled at him before he followed him back into their room, remembering one key rule about his captain…

Luffy never held a grudge against someone he liked.


	6. Ch 5: Invited

**Ch. 5- Invited**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

The next morning, the storm had finally broken. Fresh rain puddles had been left behind from the rain and the plant-life was saturated in dew. The locals had decided to come outside to take advantage of the fine weather.

By this time, Luffy had awoken from his slumber. He yawned and stretched his arms, and then smacked his lips and absentmindedly scratched his tummy. At that moment, he noticed that Usopp was gone, as well as Chopper. Plus, he could smell pancake batter on a skillet. He gasped.

"Breakfast!" he exclaimed.

With that being said, he scrambled to put his sandals on, only to stumble and fall flat on his back. Once he got to his feet, however, he grabbed his hat and planted it on his head before he headed out the door to the dining hall.

Once there, he saw that the crew was currently enjoying some strawberry pancakes that Sanji had made.

Unfortunately, he was in for a disappointment…

"You're not getting breakfast!" Sanji snapped.

"Huh?" Luffy questioned. "Why not?"

"You overslept, that's why," answered the cook. "You know the rules, Luffy! If you're late for a meal, you don't get a meal! Even moss-head knows that!"

"I'm right here, you know," Zoro said.

Luffy didn't really find that rule very fair. And apparently, his stomach didn't, either, for it made a large growl in protest.

"But Sanji~!" he whined, putting his hands to his poor tummy. "I'm hungry~!"

"Too bad!" Sanji barked. "Why don't you go find an apple to munch on or something!"

With that being said, Sanji walked away.

Luffy whimpered like a kicked puppy before he turned his sights on Chopper's pancakes. The reindeer noticed and, although he usually didn't do this, he felt bad for his captain. So, he lightly shoved his plate to Luffy.

"Here, Luffy," Chopper said. "You can have the rest of my pancakes."

"For real?" Luffy asked.

"Sure," answered Chopper. "Sanji kind of gave me too many, anyway."

Just when Luffy was about to take Chopper's plate, he felt the familiar sole of Sanji's shoe being stamped into the back of his head.

"I said no breakfast for you!" Sanji snarled before he turned to Chopper. "And you! You're gonna finish those unless you wanna end up on the lunch menu!"

Chopper gasped and shook his head "no" before he took his plate back.

"My thoughts exactly," Sanji said.

"Fine!" Luffy said with a pout. "I'll go out to eat!"

And so, Luffy leaves the dining room in a huff. However, he didn't get very far, for the moment he stepped out the doorway, he accidentally bumped into Hillary, causing her to drop a stack of papers that was in her arms.

"Oops!" Luffy said. "I'm sorry, Miss Mayor!"

"Oh, it's all right, Captain Luffy," Hillary said as she began to collect the papers. "I wasn't really watching where I was going, myself."

"Here," said Luffy, helping her pick up the papers, "let me help you with these."

"Thank you," Hillary said, gratefully.

"What are these, anyway?" Luffy asked.

"Oh, just petitions, laws, and documents that need to be signed," explained Hillary. "Mayoral business. You know how it is."

Luffy nods, seemingly understanding what she was saying, when in reality, he had no idea what she meant.

"So," Hillary said, "what are you doing this morning?"

"I'm about to out and get breakfast," said Luffy. "Sanji's being a jerk and won't let me eat with my crew."

"I see," Hillary said.

"Well, see ya later," Luffy said as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Hillary called to him, forcing him to stop.

"What?" Luffy asked.

"Earlier, when I went to give Blizzard his breakfast," Hillary began, "I saw this empty stew bowl and an umbrella over his head."

"Oh, yeah," said Luffy. "I did that."

Hillary gasped silently in surprise.

"You?" she questioned.

"Yup," Luffy answered.

"But why?" Hillary asked.

"Just 'cause," he answered, simply. "Is there a problem?"

"No!" Hillary said. "Not at all!"

Luffy just smiled before he headed out the door.

_I don't believe this,_ Hillary thought to herself. _Aside from Robby and myself…he's the first human being who has ever made an act of kindness towards Blizzard like that…!_

Meanwhile, Luffy had just exited the mansion, his hands in his pockets and whistling an unknown tune to himself. Just then, he saw Blizzard, sitting at the pier, letting the sun dry his rain-soaked fur. Luffy smiled at the wolf-dog and approached him from behind.

"Hey, Blizzard!" Luffy greeted.

Blizzard looked back upon hearing his name being called, but when he saw that it was just Luffy, he set his gaze back to the horizon. Luffy just stood beside him.

"I know who you're waiting for," he said.

Blizzard's ears perked, and he glanced up to the boy next to him.

"You're waiting for your master," Luffy said. "What was his name, again? Robby, right?"

Blizzard looked up to Luffy, fully this time, as if to ask "How'd you know?"

"The mayor told us about you last night," Luffy explained. "So, you've been waiting for that guy 3 years…that's, what…20-something in dog years, isn't it?"

Blizzard seemed to sigh before he looked back out to the open sea.

"That's fine," said Luffy. "You don't need to say anything to me. You can talk when you're good and ready."

Blizzard let out a huff, trying to make it sound like an exasperated sigh. Luffy couldn't possibly understand what he's saying…unless he could somehow read his mind.

Suddenly, Luffy's stomach started making another complaint.

"Man, I'm starving," he said to himself. "I'm gonna hit the town and see if I can grab a bite."

With that being said, Luffy turned to leave, but after taking about taking about 8 steps, he stopped. He looked back to Blizzard, who still sat at the pier. With him waiting for his master to show up for three years, Luffy considered that the wolf-dog was probably lonely.

"Hey, Blizzard!" Luffy called to him.

Blizzard turned to Luffy, as if to ask "What now?"

"You wanna come and get breakfast with me?" Luffy asked.

Blizzard's eyes widened and his lips parted slightly. Did he hear what he thought he just heard?

"Well?" Luffy asked. "You in or out?"

Blizzard seemed hesitant for a second, but then he stood and loped up to Luffy before he fell into step beside him, and followed him into town.


	7. Ch 6: Stand Up

**Ch. 6- Stand Up**

Luffy and Blizzard walked through the cobblestone streets of the town. They heard the idle chitchat of the townsfolk, children playing in the distance, and dogs barking. However, despite the good atmosphere, Blizzard felt uneasy and discontent.

As he and Luffy were walking, he noticed that some of the people had stopped what they were doing to give him a disapproving stare. He lowered his ears, looking away and sticking close to Luffy, trying hard to ignore the looks that had been given. He hated those stares.

"Jeez," Luffy sighed in annoyance. "What's everyone looking at us funny for? It's like we committed a crime!"

_You have no idea,_ Blizzard thought.

"The world must be coming to an end!"

Luffy stopped in his tracks, as did Blizzard.

A man had approached them. He was a man at average height, although a couple inches taller than Luffy. There was a bear-skin cloak dangling from his shoulders, and the top jaw of the cloak was used as a hood. He wore a belt buckle shaped like a mountain lion's head, and hooked to the belt was a rifle. Judging by his rugged look and by the way he was dressed, he was probably a game hunter.

Standing by his side was a Doberman Pinscher with a diamond-studded gold collar. His ears were cropped and his tail was docked, and to make him look all the more menacing, his eyes were a deep crimson.

Blizzard felt himself piddle when he saw the Doberman.

"I see a foolish boy walking with a wolf!" the hunter said with a sneer as he and the Doberman approached Luffy and Blizzard.

Luffy crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Luffy.

"What I mean is," the man said, "I'd be careful of that wolf, if I were you, boy. He's nothing but trouble!"

The Doberman approached Blizzard and snarled in his face. Blizzard just backed away, hiding behind Luffy, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat.

"And just who do you think you are," Luffy questioned, "Mr. High-and-Mighty?"

"I, boy, am Sir Darcy!" the man introduced himself. "Rivet Island's greatest hunter!" He turned to the Doberman that was still growling at Blizzard and pet him on the head. "And this here is my faithful hunting dog, Rio."

"Isn't Darcy a girl's name?" Luffy asked.

"MY MOTHER WANTED A DAUGHTER, ALL RIGHT?" Darcy barked. "Anyway, I highly suggest you watch your back around that wolf, because the next thing you know, he could be chewing on it."

Blizzard's ears folded back and his head lowered, sadly.

"Says you!" exclaimed Luffy, making Blizzard look back up to him in surprise.

Darcy, however, seemed shocked.

"I don't care what you say about Blizzard!" the boy said. "I like him!"

**SNORT!** **P'TOO! **Luffy hocked up a gob of spit and mucus and spat it out on Darcy's boots.

Darcy felt his face go red and a vein throb on his forehead. Rio snarled and growled at Luffy, but a yank from his leash soon silenced him.

"Don't bother, Rio," said Darcy. "This saucy adolescent's not worth our time."

With that, Darcy and Rio left without another word.

"Damn," Luffy cursed under his breath. "What a prude!"

Blizzard looked up to Luffy, his mouth parted slightly and eyes wide. Luffy just looked down at him with a big, toothy grin and a chuckle.

"I guess you're wondering why I did that, huh?" he asked him. "I just did because I felt like it!"

Blizzard seemed to smile at Luffy and twitched his nose a little.

Suddenly, Luffy's stomach started grumbling, again, reminding him why he and Blizzard were in town in the first place.

"Oh, that's right," said Luffy, patting his stomach gently. "I'm still hungry." He turned to Blizzard with a smile. "C'mon, Blizzard!"

Blizzard, with a slightly wagging tail, continued to follow Luffy.

Maybe he wasn't as bad a kid as he was making him out to be…


	8. Ch 7: InDogNito

**Ch. 7- In-Dog-Nito**

During their little search for food, Luffy and Blizzard would end up finding a restaurant, and Luffy, seeing as how he had seen some people enter with their dogs, considered that Blizzard could come in, too. However, as they did, they began to run into a bit of a problem. Every time they entered a restaurant, they'd end up getting responses such as…

"KEEP THAT WOLF OUTTA HERE!"

"DON'T COME IN HERE IF YOU'RE GONNA BRING THAT DAMN WOLF WITH YOU!"

"NO WOLVES ALLOWED!"

"RUN FOR IT, BLIZZARD!"

Afterwards, they'd end up getting chased out. To Blizzard, this was considered a threat, for every time they ended up getting chased away, he always had his tail tucked in between his legs in fear.

Luffy, on the other hand, saw this as a very big annoyance. It was already noontime and he still didn't get anything to eat!

Luffy and Blizzard sat against the wall of a building, panting to catch their breath after getting chased out of another restaurant.

"Man, Blizzard," Luffy began, "this is getting ridiculous! We can't go into a restaurant without people chasing us out because of you!"

Blizzard whimpered and lowered his head. Luffy was making it sound like it was his fault. Apparently, the boy noticed, for he raised his hands and waved them in defense.

"Oh, Blizzard," said Luffy. "I'm not saying I'm mad at you. We just have to find a way to get food without people chasing us away!"

Blizzard raised his head up and smiled slightly, feeling a bit better.

Suddenly, Luffy's stomach bellowed, reminding him that it couldn't wait any longer.

"Will you shut up?" Luffy demanded, looking down at his tummy. "I know you're hungry! Now pipe down or we'll never get anything to eat!"

At that moment, Luffy spotted some paint cans nearby, one black and one brown. He glanced at Blizzard, then back at the paint cans. A smile came to his face.

"Hey," he said. "I just got a great idea! Wait here!

Luffy grabbed the paint cans and brought them back. He picked up the brown paint and looked to prepared to dump it…on Blizzard.

"Hold your breath!" Luffy said, and Blizzard did just that.

**SPLOOSH!** Luffy dumped the whole paint can over Blizzard, turning his white fur into a shade of brown. The wolf-dog crinkled his nose at the scent of fresh paint, but decided to go along with it.

Then, Luffy dipped a small paintbrush into the black paint and began splatter it around Blizzard, making huge black blotches.

Luffy looked Blizzard over. Seeing his now brown-painted fur and the big black spots made him look like a regular dog…but for some reason, he felt that it was missing something.

**CLICK!** Luffy snapped his fingers.

"That's it!" he exclaimed before he ran off again. "Wait here!" he called to Blizzard.

A moment later, Luffy returned with a roll of tape. He tore a couple pieces off and then stuck them to the tips of Blizzard's ears, and then pulled them over to close them, making them look droopy.

"Perfect!" Luffy exclaimed. "Now you look like an ordinary dog, Blizzard!"

Blizzard looked himself over and saw that Luffy didn't do too bad a job. Granted, the paint may not wash out, but it was a good disguise.

"Okay," Luffy said, "now that that's taken care of, let's get to eating!"

Blizzard barked in agreement.

A moment later, Luffy had just entered a tavern called "The Brass Bell". Once they entered, they were greeted by the sound of someone playing an unnamed song on the piano, accompanied by a brass band. There were other customers inside, as well, either enjoying a meal, drinking grog, or carrying on conversation. Plus, there were dogs sleeping under the tables.

"Can I help you?" asked the tavern owner to Luffy.

"Yeah," Luffy answered. "Can me and my dog, Bliz- whoops- I mean _Spike_ eat a meal here?" he asked, catching himself when he was about to say Blizzard's name.

The tavern owner gave the straw hat-wearing boy an inquisitive look, and then glanced at the disguised Blizzard, humming questioningly.

"Well," the owner said, "I suppose so, just as long as that dog of yours doesn't cause trouble."

Luffy and Blizzard smiled as they entered. So far, so good, it seemed.

They sat down at the nearest table, and a while later, Luffy had ordered a large order of meat, some lobster, a bowl of fried rice, and a mug of ale. He was kind enough to share some of the meat with Blizzard, who sat underneath the table.

The customers nearby seemed a little disgusted at how fast and messily Luffy and Blizzard were eating, and by how much they were eating, too.

After about an hour later, Luffy was leaning back in his seat, patting his swollen belly contentedly, letting out a satisfied sigh. His vest buttons looked strained from how much he ate and one of them looked like they were going to snap off. There was a tall stack of plates on the table, showing how much he had consumed. The only thing that was left untouched was his drink.

"Whew!" Luffy exclaimed. "I'm stuffed! That was some good eating!"

Blizzard seemed satisfied, also, for he was lying on his side in a bit of a lethargic manner.

Luffy reached for his drink so he could wash the food down, but then, out of the blue, it slipped out of his fingers.

"Oops!" he cried.

**SPLASH!** The ale spilled out of the mug…and onto Blizzard.

"Sorry, Blizzard," apologized Luffy. "You okay?"

Blizzard sneezed at the smell of alcohol, causing the tape on his ears to fall off and make them pricked, again. The paint began to run from his fur like mascara, forming a puddle beneath him.

His cover was blown.

The people stood up from their seats upon noticing the wolf-dog, making angered chatter as they did.

"That's no dog!" one man exclaimed. "It's that wolf!"

"What is he doing in here?" a woman asked to no one in particular.

The dogs that were sleeping underneath the tables had awoken upon smelling Blizzard's scent, and began to bark and growl at him incessantly, adding more to their owners' commotion.

Blizzard tried to hide himself under the table as the other customers began to mob around him, and covered his eyes, as if he were expecting some kind of beating…

It never came.

Uncovering his eyes, he saw that Luffy (his stomach now slimmed down) had gotten in front of him, staring the people down in a somewhat threatening and defiant manner.

"What are you all ganging up on him for?" Luffy asked them. "What's wrong with you people? Blizzard's done nothing wrong!"

"Not yet," said a man, "but he will, one day! He's half-wolf, after all!"

"You think that just because he's half-wolf," Luffy began, "that you shouldn't give him the right to be treated as a member of your town?"

"Why not?" the tavern owner asked. "Wolves are thieves, tricksters, demons, and above all, savage killers!

"They'll eat whatever they consider food!" a woman shouted.

"Livestock, other dogs, even us humans if they're desperate enough!" another man exclaimed.

Blizzard looked down, feeling disheartened.

"I think the real question is why are you standing up for that beast?" asked the tavern owner.

"Because…" Luffy began, "I'm his friend!"


	9. Ch 8: Friend?

**Ch. 8- Friend…?**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

Blizzard's mouth went agape with shock at what Luffy had just said, as did the rest of the people. Even the other dogs seemed surprised.

Did this goofy, smiley-faced, straw hat-wearing kid…really consider himself as the wolf-dog's friend?

"Is this kid crazy?"

"Did he say what I thought I heard?"

"Friends…? With a wolf?"

"That's downright wrong!" said the tavern owner. "I mean, look at your hand!" he yelled, pointing to Luffy's still bandaged wrist. "He bit you there, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he bit me," Luffy said, "but I forgave him. He may not trust me, yet, but it's something I won't deny!"

_You…_ Blizzard thought to himself.

"What a load of bull crap!" shouted a taller man. "I've never heard of something more foolish in my life!"

"Wolves don't have friends," began a young woman in her mid-teens, "and they don't need any!"

By this time, the people began to throw empty sake bottles and plates at Luffy and Blizzard, the latter hiding behind the former, causing everyone to laugh at him. Even the dogs seemed to be laughing.

"Look, kid!" the tavern owner said. "Just get your ass outta here and take that damn wolf with you!"

"Yeah! Get outta here!"

"Get out!"

"Scram!"

"Leave!"

Luffy, his eyes concealed under the rim of his hat, and Blizzard prepared to exit the tavern, the people laughing and pointing at them with ridiculing fingers.

**SPLOOSH!** On their way out, one guy poured some sake on poor Blizzard, making his fur reek of alcohol even more. The wolf-dog coughed a little while the man laughed at him.

What a humility.

"Gum Gum PISTOL!"

**SPROING! POW!** Luffy stretched his arm and delivered a hard punch to the guy's face, sending him flying into a table.

"ARRGH~!" cried the man as he held his now broken nose.

The people looked at Luffy, eyes bugged out and jaws dropped, mostly from when they saw that the boy's arm had stretched.

Luffy held a fist up. His teeth were clenched and his eyes had an intimidating glare. There was a vein visible on his forehead.

To put it simply…he was pissed.

"Try that again!" Luffy growled. "I dare you!"

Blizzard's eyes went wide and his mouth parted slightly.

"Did…did his arm just stretch?" asked a young man.

"He must've eaten a Devil Fruit!"

Everyone, even the dogs, backed away, terrified.

"H-h-hey, kid," stammered the tavern owner. "Who are you? WHAT are you?"

Silence…

Just then, Luffy smirked before he turned to the owner.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! A pirate!" he claimed. "I ate the cursed Gum Gum Devil Fruit!"

Blizzard felt his jaw drop to the point where it almost hit the floor.

"Now listen, scumbags," Luffy said. "If you go so far as humiliate a friend of mine, you'll pay for it, regardless of your reason!"

(A/N: Shanks, eat your heart out!)

_Is this kid for real?_ Blizzard questioned.

"Listen, boy!" the tavern owner yelled. "You can talk all that crap all you want, but it won't help you, or that wolf! Now you two…FREAKS get out of my tavern before I call the authorities!"

Luffy and Blizzard turned to leave, but as they did, Luffy turned to the owner and gave him…a rather offensive finger gesture, making him gasp in disgust before they both made a run for it. The owner came out after them, but he didn't give chase.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" he yelled after the duo, mainly Blizzard. "KEEP RUNNING! I GOT NEWS FOR YOU, YOU DAMN WOLF! THAT KID'S NOT GONNA STICK UP FOR YOU, FOREVER! HE'LL TURN ON YOU, EVENTUALLY!"

The moment he stopped yelling, he suddenly went into thought.

_Monkey D. Luffy…_ the tavern owner thought to himself. _Why does that name ring a bell?_

XXX

About a few hours later, Luffy and Blizzard were now walking back to the mayoral house. By this time, the sun had already begun to set.

Both of them had been silent the whole way. Luffy was being quiet because he was trying to think up a good apology to Blizzard, and Blizzard was being quiet because…well, he didn't even know, anymore.

_This kid's gotta be out of his mind,_ he whispered in thought. _Why would he wanna be friends with me? I'm half-wolf, dammit! Those people were right. I don't deserve friends. The only ones I have are the Mayor and my Master…those two are the only friends I need, not some smiley-faced wannabe-pirate kid!_

"Um…Blizzard?"

Blizzard glanced up at Luffy upon hearing his name being called.

"I'm sorry about what happened at the tavern," Luffy apologized. "If I'd known they were gonna treat you like that I would never-"

Luffy didn't get to finish, for soon, Blizzard quickened his pace when he saw the mayoral house come into view, leaving him behind.

Once he got there, he was greeted by Hillary.

"Hi, Blizzard!" Hillary said as he knelt down to pet him, but stopped when she smelled the familiar scent of drinking alcohol on his fur. "Why do you smell like sake? You didn't go into town, again, did you?"

Blizzard looked away, as if he was ashamed.

"Blizzard, you stay at home for a reason!" Hillary scolded, albeit with a concerned tone. "It's not just to wait for Robby, but it's also to keep you safe from people who want to see harm come your way!"

"It was my fault, Miss Mayor," Luffy said as he approached. "I invited Blizzard to go into town with me because I thought he'd be lonely."

"Oh, dear," said Hillary. "Well…I guess I can let it slide. After all, he didn't get hurt."

_I repeat myself,_ thought Blizzard. _You have no idea._

With that, the wolf-dog returned to his "post" on the docks.

"Hey, Miss Mayor," said Luffy. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Hillary looked at Luffy, inquisitively.


	10. Ch 9: Outcasts

**Ch. 9- Outcasts**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

(A/N: This is going to be a chapter where Blizzard can talk, but only to Chopper)

It was late that night. The Straw Hats had already gone to bed after dinner. Only two people remained awake.

In the dining hall, Luffy, who was helping himself to a slice of apple pie, was sitting with Hillary.

"Now, Captain Luffy," Hillary said. "What is it you'd like to talk about?"

Luffy tried to say something, but because his mouth was full of pie, he couldn't get his words out.

"Huh?" asked Hillary.

"Sorry," Luffy apologized before swallowing. "I said 'It's about Blizzard.'"

"Blizzard?" Hillary repeated.

"Why does everybody treat him like he's some kind of freak?" asked Luffy.

Hillary sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Somehow," she began, "I knew you were going to ask that."

XXX

Chopper had woken up from a sudden thirst, so he headed to the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, being careful not to wake anyone.

However, he suddenly heard a small clang, making him gasp silently. Peering around the corner, the little reindeer saw that the door to the kitchen was slightly ajar. With soft footsteps, Chopper crept up to the kitchen door and peeked inside. His brown fur went jagged at what he saw.

A shadowy figure was standing on its hind legs with glowing red eyes, its head pointed into the kitchen sink with the water running from the faucet.

"A monster…!" Chopper whispered.

The creature must've heard him, for it turned to the reindeer with pointed ears perked up. It got down on all fours and slinked toward him. Chopper reflexively backed away, his hooves raised in defense.

"No, wait!" he exclaimed. "You don't wanna eat me! I'm too gamey!"

The shadow came out of the kitchen. Chopper cringed with teeth chattering and frightened tears forming in his eyes.

"Excuse me."

Chopper reopened his eyes and saw that it was only Blizzard, a bowl of water in his maw. He sighed in relief.

"Oh, it's just you," he said. "Thank goodness."

"I hope I didn't wake you," Blizzard said. "I just came inside for a drink of water."

"You didn't wake me," Chopper said. "I came down for a drink of water, myself."

Blizzard set the bowl down and lapped up the water, but then looked up to Chopper.

"By the way," he started, "I never got your name, little raccoon dog. What was it, again? Chipper or something?"

"It's Chopper," the reindeer corrected, "and I'm a reindeer, not a raccoon dog! See my antlers and hooves?"

"Sorry," Blizzard apologized.

"That's okay," said Chopper. "Lots of people get it wrong. I'm used to it, by now."

A pause.

"Say," Blizzard said. "Maybe you can help me out. Your…captain. Luffy, right?"

"Uh-huh," Chopper answered.

"He's getting on my nerves!" Blizzard exclaimed. "Earlier today, we went into town, and he called himself my friend! What's wrong with him?"

"What do you mean?" Chopper asked.

"Why does he feel so…obligated to be my friend?" Blizzard asked. "Is he doing it to mess with my head?"

Chopper seemed a bit surprised at first, but then he gave the wolf-dog a soft smile.

"No…" Chopper said. "It's not an obligation, Blizzard. Luffy just wants to be your friend because he likes you. That's all."

"Why should he?" Blizzard asked. "No other human would wanna be my friend. No one will ever accept me! That's the way it's always been."

"What do you mean?" asked Chopper.

Blizzard turned to him.

"Well…I guess I can tell you," Blizzard said. "Here's how it went."

~Flashback

"_I was born on a small island, here in the Grand Line called Coral Island."_

At a farm on that island was an elderly man, and lying in a basket beside him was a female Husky dog with a litter of ten, count them, TEN puppies. While most of them were black, rusty-brown and steely-gray, only the smallest one of all was a pure, snowy white.

"_I was born in a litter 5 males and 5 females. I was the oldest out of my brothers and sisters. Unfortunately for me, I was also the runt. My chances of survival seemed rather slim."_

Several weeks later, the puppies were all seen running around the farm, chasing the chickens under the watchful eye of their mother. The one that stood out the most was little Blizzard, leading the litter.

"_It turns out luck was on my side that day. Several weeks later, I grew strong. In that time, my Mother and her human had given us all names. My brothers were Ken, Kai, Rob, and Bill, and my sisters were Halo, Angel, Bliss, Rose, and Moon. My Mother's human couldn't decide what name he should give me, so my Mother decided for him: Blizzard, since it was close to my Father's name: Tundra."_

One day, the puppies were all put in a box that read "Puppies Need New Homes! 1400 Berries Each!"

"_My brothers and sisters and I were all put in a box. Our Mother told us that we were going to be taken to new homes. I was excited. I thought that a human would actually want me. I didn't realize how wrong I was…back then…I didn't know about my heritage."_

As the days went by, Blizzard's siblings were picked up by other humans and taken to new homes, one-by-one. Only Blizzard remained. People continued to walk by, not noticing him, as if he weren't really there.

"_By then, my Mother revealed to me why no human would ever want me. My Father…was a wolf…and I was the only one in my litter who looked like him. I was heartbroken…and it just seemed to get worse."_

A day later, Blizzard was left behind in the village. His mother's human could not afford to keep another dog, and had no other choice but to abandon him. The wolf-dog puppy, saddened and lonely, walked through the streets, alone.

"_I was left to fend for myself. I wandered the streets of the village for hours. I didn't think I was going to find anyone to help me…but then…I met them."_

Little Blizzard suddenly bumped into a pair of legs. Looking up, he saw that it was Hillary and Robby, standing side-by-side. They looked much younger than they were now. They looked down at the pathetic looking puppy, and smiled pitifully. Blizzard seemed to smile back at them, wagging his tail before Robby took him into his arms.

"_The Mayor…and my Master…the very first humans that truly loved me."_

~Flashback End~

XXX

"We took Blizzard home with us that night," explained Hillary to Luffy.

~Flashback~

Hillary and Robby had arrived at their mansion, where they retired in the drawing room. They lit up a fire in the fireplace, and Hillary was knitting a green, puppy-sized sweater for Blizzard, who was curled up in the warmth of Robby's arms.

"_He looked so happy, laying in Robby's arms like that. We could tell that he loved us already."_

Months went by, and Blizzard and Robby grew closer than ever. They would spend their days playing games of fetch and roughhousing with each other. Hillary just stood by and laughed at their antics.

"_I remember how those two used to play. I had fun just watching them! I had no idea that Blizzard would face the same prejudice he faced back at Coral Island…only here, it was much worse._

One year since Robby had left, Hillary was in her office, signing paper work, when suddenly, she heard what sounded like scratching at the door. Getting up, Hillary headed to the front door and opened it. She gasped in horror.

Blizzard was lying on the ground in a battered heap…covered in blood from head-to-paw. In his mouth was Robby's chain with a broken clasp.

He looked like he was about to die, right then and there.

Hillary got down on her knees, sobbing like crazy and hugging the misfortunate wolf-dog.

"_Ever since that fateful day…Blizzard hasn't been the same, since."_

~Flashback End~

"I never would've thought that the townspeople would go through such extremes," Hillary began with tears streaming from her eyes, "all because they refuse to accept Blizzard for what he is."

Luffy looked at Hillary in a sympathetic manner.

"That's…that's awful," he said.

XXX

"No other human being would ever accept me, though," Blizzard said. "And here, the discrimination was even worse here. The townspeople would go so far as to insult me and try to have the Mayor get rid of me, all because they hated where I come from!"

Chopper looked down, scratching the back of his head.

"Wow…been there," he said.

Blizzard looked back to Chopper in surprise.

"'Been there'?" he repeated. "You mean you…?"

"You see this?" Chopper asked, pointing to his blue nose. "No other reindeer has a blue nose like I do," he explained. "Even my own parents didn't want me! When I ate the Human-Human Fruit, it got worse for me, because not only did my herd kick me out, but the humans shot at me because they thought I was a monster."

Blizzard lowed his ears.

"I'm…I'm so sorry," he apologized.

Chopper shook his head.

"Don't be," he began, "because then I met this man…Dr. Hiriluk. He was the first real friend I ever had…no. He was more than that. He was the closest thing I had to a real Father. If it weren't for him, I would've never wanted to be a doctor. After he died, I was afraid that no other human would accept me…well, except for Dr. Kureha. She taught me everything I needed to know about medicine. Anyway, 6 years later, I met Luffy, and I was surprised by how much he cared for his friends and how much he saw me as a friend, too. If it weren't for him, I would've never come out to sea with him."

Blizzard looked down, his mind trying to process what Chopper was saying.

XXX

"That's really not fair," Luffy said. "Blizzard can't help who he is."

"That's what I told the townsfolk," Hillary began, "but they'll never listen to me, and I'm the Mayor, for crying out loud! I don't know what to do, anymore. I think the only place a misfit like Blizzard belongs…is out at sea with pirates."

Luffy looked up, thinking as hard as his brain would let him. Just then, he got an idea.

"He could come with us," he said.

"What?" asked Hillary.

"Blizzard!" Luffy said. "He could join my crew! Me and my friends are all misfits, but we have a place all our own! One we made up, together! Blizzard could fit right in!"

"Oh, Captain Luffy," Hillary said. "That's very sweet of you, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Blizzard still has Robby to wait for, remember?"

"Well, what if he doesn't come back?" Luffy asked. "What then?"

A pause.

"Don't get mad, Miss Mayor," said Luffy. "If Robby doesn't come back, what then? Can I take Blizzard, then?"

"If you want my honest opinion, Captain Luffy," Hillary replied, "I think it's up to Blizzard to decide if he wants to join your crew or not…but thank you, anyway."

Luffy made his signature toothy grin and chuckled.

XXX

"Blizzard," Chopper said. "You should really give Luffy a chance. I know that after all you've been through, it's pretty hard to believe, but…he's not like all those other humans. Think about it."

With that being said, Chopper walked back to his guest room, leaving Blizzard alone.

_He's not like all those other humans, eh?_ Blizzard thought to himself.


	11. Ch 10: A Lesson from Luffy

**Ch. 10- A Lesson from Luffy**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

The next day, after breakfast, the crew had begun to gather supplies.

Sanji was bringing some food onboard to restock. Luffy helped, but Sanji had to keep constant watch on him to make sure he didn't inhale anything. Zoro also brought a few barrels of ale and cola for Franky, who was down below deck making repairs with a little of Usopp's assistance. Nami was in the library, adding Rivet Island to her world map. Robin had added a few new history books to her collection, courtesy of Hillary. Chopper was currently in town by himself, finding some ingredients for his medicine and Rumble Balls.

Once Luffy was done helping Sanji (trying to sneak away a snack but failing in the process), he decided to go and see what Blizzard was up to.

True to form, Blizzard was sitting down at the pier, watching the horizon…still waiting.

"Hey, there, Blizzard!" Luffy called.

No response. He wouldn't even turn to look at him.

Luffy let out a sigh.

"Okay, Blizzard," he said. "It's obvious you're still mad at me for what happened yesterday."

Blizzard let out a snort.

_That's not why I'm not talking to you,_ thought Blizzard.

"So, once again," Luffy began, "I'm sorry about what happened at that tavern."

A pause came.

Then, Blizzard huffed out a sigh before he shrugged.

Luffy smiled a big goofy grin.

"So is that your way of saying you forgive me?" he asked.

Blizzard turned to him, a surly look in his eye before he gave him a simple nod of the head.

"Great!" Luffy cheered. "I was starting to think you stopped liking me!"

_Actually, I still don't like you,_ whispered Blizzard in thought.

"So, what do you wanna do, today?"

Blizzard just stood there, staring out to the sea.

"I guess you still wanna wait for your master, then, huh?" asked Luffy.

Blizzard gave him another simple nod of the head.

"That's fine," Luffy said. "I'll just go back inside."

With that, Luffy turned to leave, headed back inside the mayoral house.

However, as Blizzard continued to watch the horizon, he suddenly felt a strange yet familiar chill go down his spine, making the fur along his back bristle. Looking back, he saw that it was Rio. The Doberman had what looked like a menacing, toothy grin on his maw.

Blizzard got down on his stomach and laid down his ears in a submissive manner, shaking like a leaf.

Apparently, Rio didn't seem to care if Blizzard was being submissive or not. He just came to rough him up, a bit.

**BAP!** Rio bashed his skull against Blizzard's, forcing him back, almost to the point where he nearly fell of the pier. He yelped and clawed at the boards, trying to keep his grip. Rio just seemed to chuckle at his misfortune before he approached the wolf-dog, pressed his paw against his forehead, and began to try and push him off the edge!

Blizzard whined as Rio shoved his paw against his head, trying to muster the strength to climb back up, but the Doberman seemed too strong for him.

Suddenly, Rio felt something grab him from behind by his collar, pull him away from Blizzard, and threw him on the cobblestone street. Disoriented, the bullying dog shook his head and looked up, but then wished he didn't.

It was Luffy, and he had that same frightening, dagger-like glare from yesterday on his face.

Chopper, who had just returned, spotted Blizzard about to fall off the pier and ran to help back him up.

"Get out of here," Luffy snarled, "you damn mutt…!"

Rio seemed hesitant, but then he turned on a dime and ran off.

Luffy turned to Blizzard, his anger subsiding, before he sat down next to him.

"You okay?" he asked.

Blizzard answered with what sounded like a sigh and a growl mixed together.

"I've been better," Chopper translated.

"Why do you let that Dummy Doberman push you around like that?" Luffy asked Blizzard.

Blizzard dropped his ears and turned away from Luffy. Then he began to whimper.

"It's what he did to me, two years ago…" Chopper translated.

"What do you mean?" asked Luffy. "What happened two years ago?"

Blizzard looked up at Luffy, and then sighed. Then he started growling again.

"Well…it's like this," Chopper translated.

~Flashback~

"_The humans in town wanted nothing to do with me. So I decided that if I couldn't make friends with them, I thought I could make friends with the local dogs, instead."_

Blizzard, a year old, walked through the streets of town, trying to find himself some new friends. He soon came upon an alleyway, and saw that there was a pack of dogs there: three Coonhounds, a Bulldog, a Saluki, a Spitz dog, two Setter dogs, a Spaniel, and a familiar-looking Doberman with a diamond-studded gold collar…Rio. Blizzard put on a friendly smile and approached them.

"_From behind, they looked like a friendly bunch. I decided that maybe they could my friends."_

Rio's ears twitched at the sound of Blizzard's footsteps, and turned to the wolf-dog. Needless to say, he didn't look very happy about this outsider heading toward him, and apparently, the rest of the dogs didn't either. Blizzard froze as the dogs began to advance, their eyes glowing a demonic red.

"_What happened next…I should've seen coming."_

Before Blizzard knew what happened, Rio lunged at him and bit him in his right front paw. The dogs soon followed suit, biting, clawing, and thrashing the poor wolf-dog. The worst of it all? He didn't fight back.

"_I just let them toss me around like a rag doll."_

Soon, the cobblestone ground was stained red with blood, the air was filled with Blizzard's pained howls and yelps, and Robby's chain flew off his neck, the clasp broken by Rio's teeth.

"_You had no idea how relieved I was when it was over."_

The dogs threw Blizzard to the ground, one last time, before they finally let up on their brutal assault. Once the wolf-dog realized it was over, he staggered to his paws, picked up Robby's chain, and limped away while Rio and his lackeys watched, seemingly laughing in triumph.

~Flashback End~

"They didn't just beat me that day," Chopper translated for Blizzard. "They broke me."

Luffy was silent.

Hearing that memory reminded him of when he met that cowardly snake, Bellamy back in Mock Town on Jaya, and how he and his lackeys had brutally beat and humiliated him and Zoro in front of Nami, all because of his dream. He didn't fight back…until that coward attacked old man Cricket and stole his gold.

"I know where you're coming from," said Luffy.

Blizzard and Chopper looked up at the straw hat wearing boy.

"Rio kind of reminds me of that big jerk, Bellamy," Luffy explained, a hint of venom in his voice when he said Bellamy's name. "He was a bully that made fun of my dream, but I didn't fight back until he hurt one of my friends." He then turned to Blizzard. "Back then, you actually did the right thing. Fighting back only encourages them."

_It only encourages them?_ Blizzard repeated in his head.

"Let me tell you something my big brother, Ace, told me when I was little," Luffy said. "Bullies are nothing but cowards, and they use fear to make you think they're stronger than you. Fighting back won't help unless they start to push your friends around."

Blizzard just stared at Luffy in silence before the latter stood up and headed inside the mansion, hoping to get the last slice of that apple pie from last night.

"See ya later, Blizzard," he said, simply.

"Yeah, see you," added Chopper as he followed Luffy.

Blizzard just sat there before he huffed out a sigh, stood up, and left the pier.

He needed a walk to clear his head.

However, as he headed into town, he had no idea that a pair of crimson eyes were following him.


	12. Ch 11: Trouble

**Ch. 11- Trouble**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

Later that day, Blizzard was on his way back to the mayoral house. For some reason, he felt a tad more confident than he was earlier, even with the townsfolk's discriminating stares. Maybe it was because Luffy had scared Rio off for him…?

Whatever the reason, Blizzard was just a little glad to be headed home.

Or so he thought.

Suddenly, Blizzard felt something tackle him by his side and pin him to the ground. Looking up, he saw that it was Rio, pressing his paw into his throat. The Doberman snarled and growled as he sank his fangs into the wolf-dog's neck and then threw him, headfirst against a wall, biting and clawing him all over.

The rest remained unseen, but people could hear the sound of Blizzard's howls of pain and helplessness…but none of them went to help.

XXX

Blizzard's eyes opened upon hearing garbled speech. Shaking his head, he hissed slightly when he felt pain in his left paw. The wolf-dog then saw that he had what looked like a wire noose around his neck.

He gasped before he looked up and saw that there were two men in uniforms, one of which had a catchpole. It didn't take long for him to realize what was going on.

These men were taking him to the local dog pound!

_No!_ Blizzard yelled in thought as he struggled to get away from the two men who were about to throw him into the wagon. _I can't go to the pound! Not me! No! NO!_

His inner pleas fell on deaf ears, for the dog catchers threw him into the back of the wagon, closing the steel gate behind him and locking it.

"It's about time we caught this wily wolf," said one dog catcher as he boarded the wagon with his partner.

"Yeah," said the other. "No one's gonna ever want him when he gets to the pound, though."

"So what? He's gonna put down, tonight, anyway! He's better off dead to this town!"

"You're right. Hey, what do you say we get drinks later? My treat."

"Sure."

Nearby, hiding in the shadows of a building, Chopper, who had been sent to look for Blizzard when he didn't come back, looked on, slack-jawed and bug-eyed at what he had just witnessed as the wagon was pulled away by a Clydesdale stallion. However, he realized that now was not the time to be fear-stricken.

Blizzard was in danger, and he needed to help get him out.

"I have to get Luffy," Chopper muttered to himself before he shifted into Walk Point form and galloped back to the mayoral house.

XXX

Chopper arrived at the mayoral house about an hour later and ran inside, trying to find his captain.

He searched in the guest rooms.

No Luffy.

He searched in the master bedroom.

No Luffy.

He searched in the bathrooms, the patio, even the kitchen and dining hall.

No Luffy!

"If you're looking for Luffy," Zoro called, "he's in the drawing room."

Chopper ran to the drawing room, and saw, to his disbelief, that Luffy was lying on the sofa, snoring away. His mouth was covered in the filling for the apple pie from last night, and he had a hand on his stomach. His eyes were concealed by his hat.

"Luffy!" Chopper called as he ran to him and began to shake him awake. "Luffy, wake up! Wake up, wake up, WAKE UP!"

Luffy stirred slightly and sat up, eyes hooded sleepily.

"Raw ham melon," he mumbled before he fell back against the sofa and began to snore again.

"Luffy!" Chopper yelled. "This is no time for a nap! You have to wake up! It's URGENT!"

Luffy still snored, smacking his lips.

Chopper sighed, exasperated, before he shifted into Heavy Point and curled up a fist to his side.

"I hate to do this," he said, "but…Luffy, WAKE UP!"

**WHAM!** Chopper punched Luffy square in the head, causing him to sit up, screaming.

"DON'T HIT ME, GRANDPA!" he yelled.

"No, Luffy," Chopper reassured, shifting back into his hybrid form. "It's me!"

"Oh," Luffy said before he heaved a sigh of relief. "Wait a minute. Why the hell did you hit me?"

"It's an emergency!" exclaimed Chopper. "Blizzard's in trouble!"

Luffy's eyes widened and his lips parted slightly.


	13. Ch 12: Rescue

**Ch. 12- Rescue**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

Luffy and Chopper ran through the streets of town as fast as their legs could carry them. Chopper had to lead the way since he was following Blizzard's scent (and Luffy would probably end up getting lost). It was a little faint, but it was the only thing they had to lead them to their friend.

"And you didn't follow them, why?" Luffy asked, angrily as he ran.

"For the thousandth time," Chopper answered, "I HAD TO COME BACK TO GET YOU!"

"Oh, never mind!" Luffy said. "We have to hurry before Blizzard's put to the big sleep!"

XXX

It was only until later that night that they arrived at the local dog pound, a large, black, brick building with a steel wire fence. It is here, at 9 o'clock, that Blizzard will be euthanized. Luckily for him, Luffy and Chopper came an hour early.

Upon reaching the fence, the two Straw Hats saw that there was going to be bit of a problem: there was a big brown dog circling the perimeter of the pound.

"That's one big dog," Chopper whispered, a bit unsure.

"That's not just any big dog," Luffy whispered. "That's a Tosa dog."

"A what?" asked Chopper.

"A Tosa dog," Luffy repeated. "It's a large dog that's used for fighting and guarding."

"How do you know?" Chopper asked.

"Ace and I have seen them before, when we were kids," Luffy answered. "They were at my village, once, and they were really mean. One chased us and tried to bite my leg off."

**Gulp!** Chopper swallowed the lump in his throat.

"So, what do we do?" Chopper asked.

"It looks like we'll have to bait him away," Luffy explained.

"But Luffy," Chopper began, "all the stores are closed. Where are we gonna find something to bait a big Tosa dog like him?"

**Meow!**

Luffy and Chopper looked back and saw a striped tabby cat walking by, only stopping to lick its paws. Chopper looked up to Luffy with a pathetic face, as if to ask, "Do we have to?"

XXX

**BARK! BARKBARKBARK! ARF!**

**MRRROOOOOWW!**

The Tosa dog gave chase to the cat the moment Luffy dropped it on his side of the fence. While the big guard dog was busy with his current prey, Luffy and Chopper were given the chance to sneak in and find Blizzard.

Luffy looked up to an open window. It didn't take long for Chopper to realize what he was planning to do.

"Get on," Luffy commanded.

Chopper nodded his head and climbed onto his back, tiny hooves clutching to his vest.

**SPROING!** Luffy stretched his arms to the window frame and Gum Gum Rocketed himself and Chopper into the building. Once they got inside, they saw that the place was even bigger inside than it looked outside, and it was even more depressing.

There were cages everywhere, all of which had dogs inside. Big dogs, little dogs, dogs with no hair, dogs with wrinkles, dogs young and old, all kinds of dogs…and all them looked ever so pathetic. Some looked emaciated and bony. Others looked like they had a yellow discharge coming out of their bloodshot eyes. Most were howling and barking, pleading to be let out.

Luffy and Chopper felt their hearts sink.

"Wow," Luffy said, his shoulders slumped. "That's just…sad."

"It's kind of like a Marine prison," said Chopper. "Only the prisoners are dogs."

Suddenly, Luffy heard footsteps, and they were coming their way!

"Somebody's coming!" Luffy whispered. "Hide! Quick!"

The two pirates ran behind a stack of empty cages, quiet as mice. However, Luffy peered around their hiding spot to see what was going on.

A man in a white coat was opening the cage of an elderly-looking black-and-brown mutt. The man put a leash around the dog's neck and got him to follow him.

"C'mon, Rocky," the man beckoned, leading the dog to a big door with a red cross on it. "I thought for sure that someone was gonna want an old dog like you."

Luffy and Chopper watched as the man and Rocky disappeared behind the door.

A long silence occurred until the man reemerged…without Rocky.

"What happened?" Luffy asked.

"I've heard about this, before, from the dogs back at Drum Island," Chopper explained. "They said that when humans take you behind a door with a red cross, you never come back out."

"Crap," Luffy cursed under his breath. "We gotta find Blizzard and get him out of here, or he's next! C'mon! Let's split up!"

Chopper nodded his head before he split up from Luffy.

They looked in many other cages, hoping- no, praying- they'd find Blizzard before the man in the white coat got to him, first. They whispered his name in hopes that he would give them a bark or yip in response.

"Blizzard," Chopper called, softly, looking into one of the cages. "Are you are you in here?"

**GRRRROWWRRR!**

Chopper jumped back, shaken, before he walked away.

"Okay!" he said. "I know you're not it in that one."

Luffy looked inside another cage.

"Blizzard?" he called. "You in here?"

A huge dog jumped at the bars, fangs gnashing and saliva pouring out in thick, foamy streams. It could've bitten Luffy's hand off if he hadn't had jumped away at the last second.

"Apparently not," Luffy said before he walked away from the rabid dog.

XXX

Blizzard lay on the floor, his back facing the bars of his cage. His cherry blossom pink eyes were hooded, sadly, and his ears hung to the sides of his head. It appeared that the white wolf-dog had decided to accept his impending death.

_So this is how it is ends,_ he thought to himself. _To be locked away and to be put to death. How is the Mayor going to explain this to my Master?_

**CLANG!** Something hard and metallic fell against the floor. At first, he thought it was nothing, but then he heard a familiar squeaky voice.

"How did you get a BUCKET stuck on your head?"

Looking back, he gasped and saw that it was Chopper and Luffy…struggling to get a bucket off his crown.

Blizzard barked and wagged his tail, getting Chopper's attention. The reindeer gasped silently.

"Blizzard!" exclaimed Chopper before he ran to the cage.

**POP!** Luffy finally managed to get the bucket off his head and followed after Chopper.

Blizzard growled and barked to Chopper as if he were asking "What are you two doing here?"

"We came to bust you out!" Chopper answered.

Blizzard lowered his ears, his eyes going wide. These two cared so much for him…that they'd be willing to come in here and break him out?

He had never felt so touched.

Chopper tried to open the cage, but it wouldn't budge. It was locked.

"Let me try," said Luffy before he put his hands on the bars, and then, with all his might and with little to no effort, he bent them, making an opening large enough for Blizzard to slip through, like a cat.

"Okay!" Luffy said. "Let's go!"

Blizzard nodded his head before the three ran to the window where they came in.

**SPROING!** Luffy stretched his arms and grabbed the window frame.

"Grab on and hold on tight!" Luffy instructed.

Blizzard and Chopper nodded before they grabbed onto Luffy.

"Hey!"

Luffy, Blizzard, and Chopper looked back and saw the man in the white coat, running towards them. Needless to say, he wasn't happy to see a boy and a talking reindeer escaping with the white wolf-dog that was supposed to be put to death.

"Where do you think you're going with that wolf?" he asked. "He's due to be euthanized, right now!"

_Busted!_ Blizzard cried in his head.

"GO, LUFFY!" exclaimed Chopper. "GO, GO, GO, GO, GO!"

"Gum Gum…ROCKET!" Luffy yelled as he jetted himself, Chopper, and Blizzard out the window and outside, the latter howling as he did. The three tumbled along the ground as they landed outside. Blizzard stumbled to his paws and shook his head, facing a smiling Luffy.

"So, Blizzard," Luffy began, "what do you think of the Gum Gum Rocket?"

Blizzard growled and huffed.

"He said, 'It's both exhilarating and terrifying,'" Chopper translated before he turned to the wolf-dog with a giggle. "That's okay," he said. "I felt the same way, the first time, too."

Luffy got up and dusted himself off, as did Chopper.

"Uh, Luffy," Chopper said. "Why do I get this feeling we're forgetting something?"

"I dunno," Luffy answered.

A pause came…but then it was interrupted by large barking. It was then that they remembered…

"THE GUARD DOG!" they both exclaimed before they turned back.

The Tosa dog was finished chasing that cat. Now, he was prepared to go after bigger prey.

"RUN FOR IT!" Luffy yelled before the trio took off. The Tosa dog ran after them, barking and growling. Luckily for them, the dog was so big, he wasn't fast enough to catch them…unless they stopped running.

They braked to a halt when they saw the wire fence. Luffy, stretching his arms out, managed to hoist himself over the fence, and Chopper, in Walk Point form, leaped over it in two bounds. Blizzard, on the other hand, seemed to be hesitating.

"Blizzard, c'mon!" Luffy yelled.

"Hurry!" Chopper cried. "The guard dog's coming!"

Blizzard glanced to the approaching Tosa dog, then to Luffy and Chopper on the other side of the fence, then back at the dog, again.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Luffy screamed. "HURRY AND JUMP!"

"JUMP, BLIZZARD!" Chopper shrieked.

Blizzard looked up the top of the fence. It seemed almost impossible to jump over, but if he didn't want to go back in that hellhole, he had to take this chance, now.

The wolf-dog got down low to the point where his stomach was touching the ground, and then, with all his strength, he jumped up and over the fence…in a single bound.

Chopper and Luffy looked on with mouths agape. They had never seen a dog with such a strong leap, like that, before! They were so caught up in their own amazement, they didn't notice that Blizzard had run right by them, faster than a cheetah on a gazelle!

**ARF! ARF!** Blizzard barked out to the two pirates, getting their attention.

"Hey!" Luffy called out, running after Blizzard. "Wait up!"

"Slow down!" exclaimed Chopper as he followed.

The Tosa dog could only watch from his side as the trio made their escape.


	14. Ch 13: Pride and Redemption

**Ch. 13- Pride and Redemption**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

Luffy, Chopper, and Blizzard were walking through the empty streets of town, heading back to the mayoral house. Along the way, they were laughing about the events that just took place.

"I was about to think that that Tosa dog was gonna get you," Chopper began, "but, man, Blizzard! That jump you made was amazing!"

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed. "And how fast were you going when you made it the other side? You were like a bullet! I didn't even see you run by us!"

Blizzard seemed to smile a little before he growled.

"Thanks for breaking me out," Chopper translated.

"No problem," Luffy said to Blizzard. "You can always count on me, Blizzard."

"Me too!" declared Chopper.

Blizzard felt his cheeks flush a bright crimson.

_These two…_ he thought.

Suddenly, Blizzard froze in his tracks, making Luffy and Chopper stop, too.

"What's wrong?" asked Luffy.

No answer.

Blizzard's ears twitched and pointed back, as did Chopper's.

Just then, they turned to Luffy, their faces suddenly turning frantic.

"Luffy, behind you!" Chopper exclaimed.

Luffy whipped around to see what Chopper was warning him about, but the moment he did, he felt a great weight jump on his torso and something sharp sink into his right shoulder.

"GAH!" Luffy cried in pain before he fell flat on his back.

In the light of a street lamp, it was revealed to be none other than Rio…

And this time, he was not alone.

The moment Luffy was pinned down, Chopper and Blizzard saw some more dogs jump out of the shadows and gang up on him, gathering to grab a body part for them to bite onto. Luffy struggled to get away, and kicked and punched the dogs off one-by-one, but the moment he did, the dogs kept coming back.

"Luffy!" Chopper called. "What are you doing? Fight them!"

"I can't really fight back much on an empty stomach!" Luffy claimed.

"You're hungry, now?" shrieked Chopper in disbelief.

Blizzard, however, stood by, watching as Luffy was getting bitten and clawed by Rio and his pack of dogs. Seeing the boy in the way he was now…was like the time Blizzard, himself, was attacked by them.

This was too much to bear. Blizzard wasn't going to just sit there and let Rio maul Luffy like he did to him two years ago.

Swallowing whatever fear he had and with little regret, Blizzard growled and began to bare his fangs. The fur along his back began to bristle, and small streams of saliva dripped from his lips. The next thing he knew, his legs moved forward on their own accord, and he let out a loud bark.

Rio looked up, but the moment he did…

**WHAM!** Blizzard bashed Rio in his skull with his own, tackling the Doberman off of Luffy and pinning him to the ground.

The other dogs stopped their assault on Luffy and looked up, as well.

Blizzard growled in Rio's face, fangs bare. Chopper came to Luffy's side, just to make sure he was okay, but also to translate what the wolf-dog was saying.

"Listen up, Rio!" Chopper translated. "I've managed to put up with the CRAP you and your buddies have been giving me since we met! Well, it ends TONIGHT! If you wanna bully someone, then _fine!_ Just LEAVE ME AND MY FRIENDS ALONE! AND THAT GOES FOR YOUR PALS, TOO! GOT THAT?"

Rio's face went pale. Never had he seen Blizzard act this way toward him…ever. However, Blizzard's face made it evidently clear that he didn't want Rio or his pack mates to mess with him or Luffy, again.

With a yelp, Rio got from under Blizzard's paws and scrambled back to his home. The rest of the dogs, howling in fear and defeat, followed after him.

Blizzard watched as his former tormentors ran off the like the mice they truly were. A triumphant grin appeared on his face, and he licked his lips. At last, Blizzard had redeemed himself. He didn't have to worry about Rio or his subordinates bullying him, anymore.

He turned to Luffy, who was sitting on the ground. He looked at him in a way that asked, "You okay?"

Luffy was silent, eyes wide as if he were in shock. Blizzard swallowed the lump in his throat. He really hoped that what he had done didn't change Luffy's view on him.

"Blizzard…" Luffy said before his mouth upturned into a wide grin and he jumped to his feet, starry-eyed. "That was AWESOME! You should've seen yourself! You looked so cool, it was scary! It was SWEET!"

Blizzard looked at Luffy with wide, surprised eyes, but then he smiled.

"Luffy's easily impressed," Chopper said. "But he's right! You were amazing, Blizzard! You finally stood up to Rio!"

Blizzard just growled as he looked to Luffy.

"I really owe it to you, Luffy," translated Chopper. "You gave me the courage to do it. Thanks."

Luffy just smiled and chuckled.

However, as Blizzard was about to walk away, the Straw Hat captain grabbed his tail, forcing him to stop.

"Wait!" he said.

Blizzard turned to him.

"I've got a proposition for you," said Luffy. "How's about you join my crew?"

"Luffy!" Chopper called, slapping him in the side. "You can't do that! He still has Robby to wait for, remember?"

Blizzard growled again.

"He's right," Chopper translated. "As tempting as your offer is, Luffy, I'm afraid I must turn you down."

Blizzard growled once more.

"But Luffy," Chopper translated, "thanks, again, for helping me."

"Glad I could help you," Luffy replied, smiling.

"We better hurry and head back, Luffy," said Chopper. "Nami's probably boiling mad, by now."

"I know," Luffy said, a slight shiver in his voice. "I think I'm gonna get ten lumps on the head, for this."

With that, Luffy, Chopper, and Blizzard headed back to the mayoral house, and as they did, the latter seemed to have a bit of a skip in his step and a feeling in his heart he thought he had long lost: his pride.


	15. Ch 14: Friends at Last

**Ch. 14- Friends at Last**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

Later that night, Luffy, Blizzard, and Chopper arrived back at the mayoral house. Unfortunately, when they got back, Nami was fuming. When she saw the scratches on Luffy's body, she automatically assumed that he had gotten into an unnecessary fight in town.

She had just finished chewing him out in the dining hall, and Luffy, who had also gotten 12 lumps on the head, only had this to say…

"You're just like my Grandpa!"

Luffy retired to the sofa on the patio, twirling his hat around his finger, looking up at the bright twinkling stars. Seeing them reminded him of the nights he used to spend with Shanks when he was a kid.

_I wonder how Shanks is doing,_ he thought to himself. _He's probably partying and getting himself drunk, as usual. Maybe I should have Nami right a letter to him for me._

"Captain Luffy?"

Luffy looked back and saw Hillary and Blizzard coming outside.

"Aren't you going to bed?" Hillary asked Luffy. "Your crew has already retired for the night."

"Yeah," Luffy answered. "I'll be in bed in a minute."

Blizzard suddenly jumped onto the sofa, and then, unexpectedly, he laid down in Luffy's lap. Hillary gasped silently in surprise before her lips upturned into a soft smile.

"Oh, Blizzard…!" she whispered.

"What's he doing?" asked Luffy.

"When Blizzard lays in your lap," Hillary began, "it means he finally trusts you."

Luffy's eyes widened slightly before he slowly and gently laid his hand atop Blizzard's head.

No growling, no snarling, no attempt at biting him…no aggressive action, whatsoever.

Luffy smiled and began to gently stroke Blizzard's fur. It was soft, like the clouds on Skypiea, and smooth, like silk.

"Good boy," Luffy praised.

Blizzard yawned and stretched his legs, and seeing Blizzard falling asleep made Luffy suddenly feel sleepy, as well. He yawned and stretched his arms and legs, and before he knew it, he fell asleep against the sofa, his hat concealing his eyes.

Hillary just stood there, smiling at them. Just then, Nami came outside with a blanket in her arms.

"Miss Nami," Hillary greeted.

"It's really cold out," Nami said before she laid down the blanket on Luffy and Blizzard. "Goodnight, Luffy," she whispered before she went back inside.

Hillary silently approached Luffy and Blizzard, and laid a light kiss on the wolf-dog's head.

"Goodnight, Blizzard," she said before she also headed inside.

Blizzard seemed to smile as he slumbered in Luffy's lap.

At last…he had a true friend.


	16. Ch 15: Blizzard Gives Payback

**Ch. 15- Blizzard Gives Payback**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

The next day was rather hot. So, to beat the heat, Hillary invited the Straw Hats to come swimming in her pool. When they heard that, the crew immediately headed to the _Thousand Sunny_ to put on their bathing suits and gather their water toys.

Zoro, wearing his green swim trunks, and Sanji, wearing his blue swim trunks and "Mr. Prince" sunglasses, were fighting over who got to sit in the hot tub.

Robin, wearing a purple one-piece bathing suit, white shawl, and sunhat, was sitting in a lawn chair and reading a book.

Chopper was paddling in his pink Doskoi Panda inner-tube.

Franky and Usopp, wearing his yellow trunks, were playing with toy submarines.

Luffy, in his red swim trunks and wearing a pair of sunglasses, was sleeping on his inflatable dragon raft.

As for Nami, she was climbing up to the diving board in her two-piece orange bikini. Once she got to the top, she jumped on it a couple of times before she leaped down to the pool in a perfect swan dive.

**SPLASH!** Nami landed in the pool, spraying water almost everywhere.

Robin, Chopper, Sanji, Franky, and Usopp clapped for her.

"Fabulous dive, Nami!" Sanji cheered.

"Yeah!" Chopper agreed. "Ten outta ten!"

"Well done," added Robin.

Hillary came outside, wearing an aqua-green two-piece bikini, and standing beside her was Blizzard, wagging his tail.

"Well," Hillary began, "I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourselves."

"Thanks for letting us swim in your pool, Mayor," said Nami, gratefully.

"My pleasure," said Hillary.

**SPLASH!** Blizzard suddenly leaped into the pool, doggie-paddling to Luffy, who still lay sleeping in his raft.

Chopper paddled up to the wolf-dog, a mischievous grin on his rounded face.

"You wanna wake him up?" asked Chopper.

Blizzard nodded his head, "yes".

"Watch this," Chopper said.

**SLURP~!** He sucked in some water until his cheeks swelled up, and then spat it out from his mouth and onto Luffy's face.

A startled Luffy sat up in his raft, sputtering and shaking the water from his hair.

"AAAH~!" Luffy screamed, waving his arms frantically in the air. "HELP ME! I'M DROWNING! SOMEBODY, HELP!"

Chopper giggled at his captain. However, he ended up getting the short end of the stick when he was met with a splash of water to the face. This time, Luffy was the one laughing, but once again, he was drenched in water, this time by Blizzard's paws. In a matter of seconds, it became an all-out splash fight between Luffy, Chopper, and Blizzard.

Hillary looked on in surprise as she watched the wolf-dog join in on Luffy and Chopper's childish game.

"I don't believe my eyes," she whispered.

"What?" asked Nami, coming out of the pool to dry her hair out.

"I haven't seen Blizzard play like that since Robby left!" replied Hillary.

"He must be in a good mood, today," Nami said. "Of course, with Luffy, even the most melancholy people would wanna join in on the fun."

Hillary looked on as Blizzard splashed and played in the pool with Luffy and Chopper. Her heart swelled with joy and happiness. Seeing Blizzard frolic in the water reminded her of how he and Robby used to play and how she'd watch from the sidelines, laughing.

She smiled softly.

"I suppose so," Hillary thought aloud.

"MAYOR!"

Everyone looked up to see Darcy, looking more angry than Nami in a bad mood. Pulled along by his leash was Rio.

Something looked different about the Doberman Pinscher, today. His fur looked jagged, unkempt, and dull, lacking its usual shine. His eyes were wide and darting this way and that. His breathing was shallow and rapid. He was shaking like a leaf in on an autumn wind.

To put it simply, he looked frightened.

"What's that jackass doing here?" Luffy asked to no one in particular.

"Beats me," Chopper answered him.

"What do you want, now, Darcy?" Hillary asked the hunter in an irritated manner.

"What do I want?" Darcy repeated. "What I want is for that wolf to be thrown into the sea to be eaten by a Sea King! He's a damn menace! Look at what he did to my poor Rio!"

Hillary looked down at the skittish-looking Rio.

"And what, pray tell, is wrong with your dog?" she asked Darcy.

"Last night, he came running home to me, yelping like a kicked puppy!" Darcy barked. "When I took him to the vet this morning, he said he's suffering from a nervous breakdown! That wolf was behind it! I know he was!"

"So what if he was?" Hillary snapped. "Maybe Rio deserves it after all the bullying he's been doing to poor Blizzard!"

"Rio was putting that wolf in his place!" Darcy growled. "It's the way things are, Mayor! On the very top of the natural order is us! Man! Below us, but never at the bottom is man's best friend, the dog! Now at the very bottom are wolves, the savage, brain-dead creatures…"

As Darcy continued to rant on and on about how wolves were the lesser species, Luffy jammed his pinky up his nose in boredom before he suddenly got an idea. He beckoned Chopper closer before he whispered something in the reindeer's ear. Chopper giggled before he beckoned Blizzard closer and whispered what he had heard into his ear. Blizzard apparently must've liked what he was hearing, for he snickered.

Blizzard swam out of the pool and shook himself dry. Then, with light but quick footsteps, he crept up behind the nervous Rio. He snickered again before he gently tapped his paw against Rio's shoulder.

The Doberman flinched before he slowly looked back. The moment Rio saw Blizzard's snowy white face, he yelped in panic and ran like there was no tomorrow. Unfortunately for Darcy, he was still gripping Rio's leash until he ended up getting pulled along by his own dog.

"RIO!" Darcy cried. "HEEL, RIO! STAY~!"

Rio was too panicked to listen. He continued to run around the pool, dragging Darcy along, and all the while, the Straw Hats, Hillary, and Blizzard had broken out in hysterical laughter.

"WHAT A MORON!" Luffy cried in his guffaw.

Rio continued his frenzied running until he finally stopped at the edge of the pool. Unfortunately for Darcy, he ended getting thrown into the water.

**KER-SPLASH!**

Hillary and the Straw Hats were sent into further hysterics.

"Oh, man," laughed Zoro. "Even _I_ had to laugh!"

"What a dumb-ass!" Usopp cried in his laughter, a few tears forming in his eyes.

"You really got that guy, good, Blizzard!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Talk about a SUPER loser!" shouted Franky.

"I can't…I can't…BREATHE!" Luffy gasped, trying to get over his laughing fit.

Darcy pulled himself out of the pool as everyone continued to laugh at him. He then gave Blizzard a death-glare, but surprisingly, the wolf-dog didn't seem to be fazed at all. He just stared back in a defiant, challenging manner.

"One of these days, wolf," Darcy hissed, "your head is going to look good on my mantle…!"

_Wanna bet?_ Blizzard thought before he slurped up some water from the pool and then….

**SPURT!** Blizzard spat it out in Darcy's face, making him cough and sputter and sending everyone else into even more laughter. In fact, Luffy ended up laughing so hard, he accidentally rolled off his raft and into the water.

"Luffy!" Chopper cried.

Zoro was about to jump in and get him, but he was saved from the trouble by Blizzard, who dove in and pulled the boy out. Luffy looked like he was in Gum Gum Balloon form due to swallowing some water, so Blizzard pressed his paws against his stomach to get the water out.

"Thanks, Blizzard," Luffy coughed.

Blizzard simply nodded.

Darcy wrung the water from his clothes mumbling, "If I ever see another wolf, again, it'll be too soon!" He grabbed Rio by his leash and pulled him away. "Come, Rio!"

"Don't let the door hit you on your way out," Hillary called out to him as he and the Doberman left the premises.

Luffy sat up, kicking his feet in the water before he turned to Blizzard.

"You really showed them, Blizzard," he said.

"Yeah!" agreed Chopper. "Talk about payback!"

Blizzard gave them a big, toothy smile, snickering as he did.


	17. Ch 16: Getting to Know You More

**Ch. 16- Getting to Know You More**

For the next three days, Luffy and Blizzard began to hang out together more. Chopper would occasionally join them, but it was mostly just them. To Blizzard, though, any way they spent the day was a great day.

They'd occasionally go on a walk together in town and Blizzard didn't care about the townspeople staring at him, anymore. In fact, they hardly stared at him, at all. He was even allowed into the local restaurants whenever he and Luffy stopped for a bite to eat. Not once had someone tried to spill booze on him.

Speaking of food, during snack time back at the mayoral house, Luffy discovered a little tidbit about the wolf-dog: he'd do anything for a spoonful of peanut butter. Luffy could just laugh while he watched Blizzard smack his lips, trying to get the sticky spread from the roof his mouth.

On a rainy day, Blizzard, Luffy, and Chopper played in the mud for hours. When they came in, they tracked muddy footprints and paw prints along the floor. Not only did they get a scolding from Nami, but Luffy and Chopper caught themselves a small cold. Luckily for them, they all got a bath and a nice warm blanket to wrap themselves up in.

At times, they would enjoy a simple nap in the sun, together, although it was a little hard to sleep with Luffy's stomach growling and him always muttering something about meat.

Blizzard often found himself enjoying usual dog activities with Luffy, like playing games of fetch and chase in the garden. There was even that one time when he chased Luffy and Chopper with the water hose, too!

To Blizzard, though, the best thing about having Luffy around was when he told him stories of the Straw Hats' past adventures to keep him entertained, from their first voyages in the East Blue to saving Robin from Enies Lobby.

Blizzard found himself becoming more fascinated, intrigued, and amazed at what Luffy and his crew were capable of. It was as if the Straw Hats had been everywhere! Well, almost everywhere, but still, who knew that these pirates could have such adventures?

Oh, how he missed those days. To sail along the open sea with his master, again, to fight rival pirates and the Marines, and most of all, partying until the sun broke the horizon. At that moment, the sound of joining Luffy and his crew didn't so bad.

However, the thing that amazed Blizzard the most was Luffy's dream: to find the legendary treasure, the One Piece, and to achieve the ultimate status of King of the Pirates.

With Luffy telling Blizzard all about himself and all the things he had accomplished…it gave Blizzard the chance to get to know him a lot more, and it made their bond of friendship grow stronger.

At night, Blizzard doesn't sleep outside, anymore. Now, he's found curled up next to Luffy in the guest room. Luffy was in such a deep sleep, he didn't even notice.


	18. Ch 17: Hell to Pay

**Ch. 17- Hell to Pay**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

It's been 7 days since the Straw Hats docked at Rivet Island. That meant that the Log Pose was going to set tomorrow. That also meant that this was the last day that Luffy and Blizzard would spend together.

They were laying down on the roof, , close to the pool, facing the sky, and Usopp had decided to join them. They were a playing a little game where they would find shapes in the clouds. Blizzard pointed his paw to one particular cloud.

"Ooh, look at that one!" Luffy exclaimed. "That one looks my hat!"

"Oh, yeah," Usopp agreed. "I see it!"

"Okay, my turn," said Luffy before he pointed to another cloud. "Look at that one! That one looks like lion's head!"

"Nice," said Usopp before he searched the sky to see if he could find another peculiar cloud. "Ooh!" he chirped. "I found a good one! Look at that one! See it?"

"Yeah," Luffy answered.

"Doesn't it look exactly like the _Going Merry_?" the sniper asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Luffy said. "Good ol' _Merry_!"

"I wonder what she's doing, now, in that big shipyard in the sky," Usopp thought aloud.

"Is there really such a thing as 'Pirate Ship Heaven'?" asked Luffy.

"Of course!" Usopp said, actually lying through his teeth. "And I bet by now, _Merry's_ found herself some new friends!"

"Maybe…" Luffy thought aloud, his smile sagging into a frown. He really missed the _Going Merry_ and how he used to sit on her head. It was always so comfortable.

Deciding not to go back to the past, Luffy continued with the cloud-gazing game. At that moment he spotted two clouds.

"Look at those two!" he exclaimed. "They look like two dogs scrapping over a peace of meat! GRRRR!" He laughed.

"Almost everything has to be meat with you, huh?" asked Usopp.

"No!" Luffy protested.

Blizzard snickered at the two arguing pirates.

"BLIZZARD!"

Blizzard's ears perked up at the sound of his name being called, and he sat up, followed by Luffy and Usopp. Looking back, they saw that it was Chopper approaching in a small sprint. He stopped in front of Luffy, panting and beads of sweat forming on his brow.

Luffy poured Chopper a glass of lemonade from the pitcher nearby and handed it the out-of-breath reindeer. Once he noticed the glass, Chopper took it into his tiny hooves and guzzled it down, letting out a refreshed sigh once he was finished.

"So, Chopper," Usopp began, "what's going on?"

"Oh, right!" Chopper exclaimed before he turned to Blizzard. "Blizzard, you won't believe this! The mayor and I were outside, talking, when we saw this big ship coming in! We saw the flag, too! It's a pirate ship!"

At the words "pirate ship", Blizzard froze up. If what Chopper was saying is true…that means…

Without warning, Blizzard suddenly took off like a bullet from a pistol, heading down the stairs and to the front of the house. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper followed behind, but they found it hard to keep up with the wolf-dog.

"Damn it, he's fast!" Usopp yelled.

"I know!" answered Luffy.

Once outside, Blizzard saw that Hillary was standing by the pier where he used to wait for Robby. He braked to a halt at the edge, looking out to the horizon. There was indeed a ship pulling up to the island.

The figurehead was of a snarling wolf, leaping out to attack its prey. The name of the ship was written clearly in gold: _The Wolf-Song_. The flag: a wolf's face gnawing on the crossbones…

It was Robby's ship.

Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, and Hillary were cheering at this point as the ship drew closer.

"He's come back, Blizzard!" Chopper cheered.

Hillary knelt down and hugged Blizzard, who was still staring out to the horizon.

"Oh, Blizzard!" she exclaimed. "Robby's finally come home!"

"Isn't that great, boy?" asked Luffy. "You finally get to see Robby, again!"

Blizzard had pretty much tuned everyone out by then. Deep down, he was so ecstatic that he couldn't even move, but something in the back of his mind was telling him that this was too good to be true. There was something strange. Something very wrong.

Just then, a scent came to the wolf-dog's nose, and it smelled like it was coming from the ship. This scent was much more different than his master's scent. At that moment, Blizzard started to growl and bare his fangs.

"Blizzard?" Luffy called, questioningly.

"What's wrong?" asked Hillary.

"He's saying, 'The scent on the ship…it's different.'," Chopper translated. "'This isn't my Master's scent! This scent…it smells of blood.'"

"What?" Usopp asked, suddenly feeling panicked. "What does he mean by that?"

"I think what he means is," Luffy began, "that's Robby's ship, but he's not the one aboard."

**KRRRRUUUNCH!** As the ship drew closer, the hull began to break the pier apart.

"EVERYBODY OUTTA THE WAY!" Luffy cried as he ran off the shattering pier with Usopp, Chopper, Hillary, and Blizzard following behind him.

At that point, the rest of the Straw Hats and even some of the townspeople came to see what the commotion was about.

"What the hell's going on out here?" Zoro asked. "I was in the middle of taking a nap!"

Nami noticed _The Wolf-Song_ docked at the pier, and gasped at how huge she was. She was as big as the _Thousand Sunny_, herself!

"W-what the hell is that?" the navigator asked.

"I don't know," Franky answered, "but it's SUPER huge!"

Just then, someone disembarked from the ship, followed by many others, forcing the townsfolk to back away. Hillary gasped, and Blizzard growled even more.

The man that was standing before them was wearing a red shirt and brown pants that were tattered at the ankles. He had peach skin and brown hair, and a fuzzy mustache above his upper lip. A green buccaneer's coat was dangling from his shoulders.

"NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA!" the man laughed. "Ah, it's good to be home, again!"

"Is that Robby?" Luffy asked.

"It can't be!" Chopper said. "I've seen his pictures! Robby's supposed to be an albino man! This guy's hair is brown! Blizzard, who is this guy?"

Blizzard growled at the man that stood before them.

"His name is 'Dick Benton'," Chopper translated. "He's my Master's first mate! I never like the guy because he looked like he was always up to something fishy!"

"Benton!" Hillary called, angrily. "What are you doing back here, occupying Robby's ship? Where's my husband?"

"Ah, your honor," said Benton as he made a sarcastic formal bow before her, making the men behind him laugh out loud.

The townspeople started to back away, sensing that something was about to happen. Something bad. The Straw Hats, however, prepared for whatever was coming their way.

"Answer me, Benton!" Hillary snapped. "Where's my husband?"

"Well, let's just say I decided to give myself a promotion," Benton explained. "I'm captain of the Rivet Pirates, now, and as such, I'm making this island MINE! As for your chump husband…" he snickered, a malevolent grin appearing on his face before he roughly cupped Hillary's chin in his hand.

Sanji, ever the chivalrous cook, approached the burly brute, feet prepared to kick.

"Get your hands off her!" he growled.

"I got news for you, dear-y," Benton whispered sinisterly. "I _killed_ him!"

Hillary's eyes widened in horror, and she took in a large gasp.

"You…you what…?" she gasped.

Blizzard let out an unearthly growl. Saliva began to pour from his mouth in thick streams. The fur along his back began to rise, and his tail pointed straight up. His blood began to boil, so much so that huge veins began to appear on his head, legs, and hips.

**WOOSH!** Blizzard ran so fast, nobody seemed to see him move and he created a huge gust of wind as he ran by. The wolf-dog lunged at Benton, fangs and claws exposed, and bit Benton in the face, sending him screaming in pain and letting Hillary go.

"Miss Mayor!" Luffy called. "Go back inside!

Hillary nodded before she headed into the safety of her house.

As Benton struggled to get Blizzard off his face, he let out a cry of, "MEN! ATTACK!"

At that cry, the other pirates charged into town, chasing the townspeople off. They knocked over kiosks and food stands, smashed open windows, and held their weapons threateningly at the townsfolk, even the young children!

At that moment, the Straw Hats took action, and Luffy was the first to jump into battle.

"Gum Gum WHIP!" he cried as he made a roundhouse kick and clothes-lined as many enemies as he could. A dozen more came at him from behind, but Luffy was prepared. He whipped around and unleashed a flurry of rapid-fire punches.

"Gum Gum GATLING!"

The punches landed dead-center and sent the enemies flying.

Zoro tied his bandana around his head and unsheathed _Wado Ichimonji_ and _Kitetsu III_ , his only remaining swords. However, he soon saw an opportunity. One of the enemy pirates had a katana in hand. Perfect. With a grin, Zoro ran at top speed and grabbed the katana from the pirate. Putting _Wado_ in his mouth, Zoro held _Kitetsu III_ and the stolen katana horizontally along his shoulder.

"108 CALIBER PHOENIX!" he cried as he preformed a circular swing, the resulting wind slashing many pirates in the line of aim.

Nami disconnects her Perfect Clima-Tact, just as five pirates lunged at her. She spun the Cool Pole and Heat Pole in her hands, forming a large storm cloud.

"Cool Ball! Heat Ball!" she yelled before she released a Thunder Ball. "THUNDERBOLT TEMPO!"

**KRRZZT! BOOM!** A huge bolt of lighting came crashing down, electrocuting the pirates and frying them to a crisp.

Usopp, meanwhile, seemed to be having trouble. He backed away from the approaching foes, pistols and sabers inching dangerously close to his face. Suddenly, he seemed to cough up a large amount of blood. The pirates backed away, feeling nervous.

"What the hell?" one pirate muttered.

"Is he sick?" asked another.

Usopp suddenly smirked as he removed his hand from his lips, revealing an empty packet of ketchup in his palm.

"Ketchup Star…" he said before he pulled out his Kabuto and armed with a Shuriken chain. The pirates gasped and turned to run.

"Shuriken SHOOTING STAR!" Usopp yelled as he fired the shuriken and sent them flying, cutting anyone who was foolish enough to stand in the line of fire.

"COLLIER!" yelled Sanji as he kicked the designated body part. "POITRINE! TENDRON! LONGE!"

Chopper shifted into Heavy Point form, roaring as he charged forward like a bat out of hell, punching and thrashing anyone in his wake.

Robin didn't seem to have any problems on her end. She currently had several pirates trapped in her many-handed grasp.

"Treinta Fleur," she whispered before she clenched her hands. "CLUTCH!"

**KRRACCK!** The sickening sound of bones cracking filled the air as Robin snapped their backs in half.

Franky sucked in a deep breath of air.

"Fresh FIRE!" he shouted as he let out a huge burst of flames from his mouth, burning anyone in the line of fire.

Back with Benton, he had finally managed to pry Blizzard off his face. Blood dripped from his now bent nose as he held the enraged wolf-dog by the throat.

"You ought not to have done that, Blizzard," Benton snarled as he pinched his broken nose and twisted it back into place, making a crunching sound as he did.

**GRRR~!** Blizzard growled as he clawed at Benton's arm, which suddenly turned into a shiny, clear, yellow liquid.

"Since I've been gone," Benton began, "I ate a Devil Fruit! The Oil-Oil Fruit!"

Blizzard struggled to get out of Benton's grasp as oil began to ooze into his nose and mouth. The next thing he knew, it was hard to breathe.

"NA-NA-NA-NA-NA!" laughed Benton at the wolf-dog's expense.

"Gum Gum STAMP!"

Benton looked up, but was met with a sandal to the face, forcing him back and letting Blizzard go.

Luffy landed before Benton, his outstretched leg snapping into place.

"You mess with a friend of mine," he hissed, "then you mess with me!"

Benton growled before he ran inside _The Wolf-Song_.

Blizzard staggered to his paws, coughing up some oil as he did before he prepared to give chase after Benton, but Luffy grabbed him by his chain, forcing him to stop. Chopper soon joined them.

"No, Blizzard!" Luffy exclaimed.

Blizzard turned to Luffy and growled.

"You can't take him on your own!" Luffy said. "He has Devil Fruit powers! You don't stand a chance!"

Blizzard barked and growled at Luffy.

"But he killed my Master!" Chopper translated. "I can't keep that lying down! Benton…he-"

"Blizzard," Luffy said. "I know your pissed…and I know that you feel like you wanna kick this guy's ass more than anything."

Blizzard growled, which soon fell into a whine. Small beads of tears began to form in his eyes.

"He killed my Master," Chopper translated. "If you really are my friend, Luffy, you'd understand that!"

"I do," Luffy said before he gently laid his hand against Blizzard's head. "Which is why I'm gonna help you."

Blizzard's eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm helping, too!" Chopper exclaimed. "We're all friends, right?"

Blizzard felt more tears beginning to form in his eyes. However, he knew that now was not the time to start feeling touched. Wiping away his tears with his paws, Blizzard nodded his head, as if to say, "Yeah. We're all friends."

Luffy gave Blizzard a toothy grin and a snicker.

"Then let's go kick that guy's ass!" he yelled, pounding a fist into his palm.

"Yeah!" agreed Chopper.

Blizzard barked and ran inside the ship with Luffy and Chopper following behind. Benton had murdered Robby, Blizzard's very first friend, his beloved master…now, he had hell to pay.


	19. Ch 18: True Demons

**Ch. 18- True Demons**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

Luffy, Chopper, and Blizzard ran through the ship with the latter leading the charge. They were following Benton by the trail of oil he had left behind until it seemed to end on the upper deck. Luffy and Chopper looked around, but Benton was nowhere to be seen.

"He disappeared," said Chopper.

"No," Luffy disagreed. "He's close. I can feel it."

Blizzard sniffed around, trying to find the traitorous pirate in question. Benton's oil trail may be gone, but his scent trail remained. The wolf-dog stopped in front of a door that read "Captain's Quarters". He growled and snarled, and it didn't take long for Luffy to find out why.

"He's in there?" asked Luffy.

Blizzard nodded his head, "yes".

Luffy lifted his foot from the deck, and with a forceful kick that would rival Sanji's, he busted the door open, right off its hinges.

The room they found was huge. It took up half of the upper deck. It had a king-size bed, and next to it was a cushion with Blizzard's name sewn into it. It also had a framed portrait of Hillary and Blizzard as a puppy. Against the wall to the left of them was a desk, possibly Robby's study.

The question was…where was Benton?

"Now where'd that snake go?" Luffy asked as he entered the room, followed by Chopper.

Blizzard remained behind, however. He couldn't shake this feeling that something was amiss.

**SPLAT!** A gob of a familiar-looking liquid fell to the floor, but only Blizzard noticed it. He looked up to see a huge puddle of oil sticking to the ceiling. Putting two-and-two together, Blizzard gasped when he saw it morph into Benton's face.

He let out a loud bark, ran forward, and tackled Luffy and Chopper to the floor, just as Benton fell from the ceiling before them, feet-first.

"Thanks, Blizzard," Chopper said gratefully.

Blizzard nodded his head.

"You know," Benton began, "I wouldn't really be so chummy with Blizzard if I were you."

Luffy and Chopper stood up and scowled at Benton.

"Why?" Luffy asked. "Is it because he's half-wolf? We know the whole story!"

"Not all of it," said Benton as he reached into his pocket. "I've seen what that mutt can really do with my own eyes, and if you were there with me, you'd agree that Blizzard is really a demon in a dog's body!" Benton pulled out a rolled up piece of paper from his pocket and opened it. "Look for yourselves."

Luffy and Chopper gasped, while Blizzard looked on, horrified.

Benton was holding a wanted poster of Blizzard, himself, as a puppy…only, he looked somewhat crazed…and was covered in blood from head-to-paw. The bounty: 130,000 Berries.

"A wanted poster?" Chopper questioned in shock.

"That's right," Benton answered.

-Flashback-

Marines and pirates were everywhere. Swords clanged and pistols, rifles, and bazookas were fired. The sounds of battle cries filled the air. It looked like an all-out war.

"_Robby and the rest of us got into a heated battle with the Marines, and we were practically tooth and nail against each other."_

Robby, after punching out a Marine soldier, pulled out a gold whistle from his pocket.

"_By then, Robby decided it was time to call out our secret weapon."_

Robby blew into the whistle, but it didn't seem to make a sound.

Suddenly, a white blur whizzed by Robby and Benton. It was little Blizzard at 12 months of age.

"_That was the first day Blizzard had joined us in the field of battle. Unfortunately, that would also be the last. Now, normally, any other juvenile dog would run away and hide at the first sign of a fight, but not Blizzard, because Robby had prepared him for this stuff…"_

"Blizzard!" Robby commanded. "ATTACK!"

**ARROOOOO~!** Blizzard let out a long howl, and some of the Marines and even a few of Robby's crewmates fell forward, unconscious. Then he charged forward at the first Marine in his sight.

"_You see, Robby had trained Blizzard…to kill anyone wearing a Marine uniform."_

Blizzard sank his fangs into a Marine soldier's neck, causing blood to spray from the mangled artery and stain his fur and teeth. The soldier dropped on his back, dead as a doornail. Blizzard looked up from his now lifeless victim, his usually calm visage suddenly looking crazed. His fangs were bare and the crimson liquid dripped from his maw.

"_Once Blizzard got his first taste of blood…he was thirsty for more."_

The next thing that happened was pretty much a blur. Blizzard ran amok, severely biting anyone that was in his sight, even his fellow crewmates! Whenever Blizzard saw someone to attack, they'd try to escape him, but even as a juvenile, he proved that he was much too fast for them.

"Blizzard!" Robby called. "Stop! STOP!"

Blizzard didn't listen. He just continued mauling his foes and comrades. Robby looked on in horror. This creature that he was looking at right now…was not his dog.

Blizzard's sights turned to a Marine sergeant, standing behind a wall of fire, armed with a rifle. The wolf-dog growled and snarled at him before he charged through the flames and lunged at him.

**KABANG!** A gunshot went off, but Blizzard, his body now shrouded by flame, came out seemingly unharmed and bit the sergeant in his shoulder, his fangs very close to puncturing a major artery and burning the man at the same time. The sergeant screamed in agony as Blizzard's heated claws pierced through his uniform and into his skin.

"_Robby had enough."_

"BLIZZARD!" Robby cried. "STOP IT! THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Robby blew the whistle, again, and Blizzard finally snapped out of his berserker assault, the flames around his fur dissipating. He fell to the ground, unconscious, as did the sergeant. Robby rushed to the wolf-dog's side and saw a small hole in his left hip. Blizzard had been shot.

_That was enough to get Blizzard to stop."_

The following week, the crew had gathered around to see Robby holding a new wanted poster of Blizzard during his first battle.

"A wanted poster?" questioned one pirate.

"'White Wolf' Blizzard," another pirate said, reading the paper. "Wanted: dead or alive. Bounty: 130,000 Berries."

Robby lowered his head, ashamed.

"I never meant for this to happen," said Robby. "I didn't mean for Blizzard to go berserk like that! He was just supposed to take out a few Marines, not go around attacking his own crewmates!"

"Whoa, whoa, cap'n, relax!" said a deckhand. "So Blizzard ran amok because he did his job for the first time! He'll get better with age!"

"It's not that," Robby said. "Now that he's a wanted criminal, the Grand Line's waters are far too dangerous for him! Besides…the dog I saw out there that day…was not the one my wife and I took in."

"So what'll we do?" Benton asked.

Robby took a deep inhale, and then exhaled.

"Men," he said, turning to his crew, "I'm sorry…but I'm afraid that until we find the One Piece, this will be the last time Blizzard will be with us."

The pirates lower their heads, saddened.

~Flashback End~

Blizzard lowered his head and backed away a few steps at reliving that memory.

"Robby says he did out of Blizzard's safety," Benton explained, "when in reality, he was ashamed of what Blizzard had become: a true hellhound!"

Chopper looked at Blizzard with wide but sad eyes. Luffy just remained silent.

"What can I say?" Benton asked with a smug grin. "Once a demon, always a demon. NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA!"

**SPROING! BAP!** Benton was met with a fist to his face, and because he had neglected to turn it to oil, it sent him crashing into the desk behind him.

Luffy's arm snapped back into place.

"Shut your MOUTH!" he roared. "I don't give a damn about what Blizzard did in the past! If you ask me, the real demon is YOU!"

_Luffy…_ Blizzard thought to himself.

"You made Robby break a promise to Blizzard," Luffy growled. "Anyone who does that is unforgivable! Now, because of what you did, I'm gonna help Blizzard kick your ass!"

"Don't forget me!" Chopper exclaimed, a Rumble Ball in his hoof. "Blizzard's my friend, too, you know!"

_Chopper…!_ Blizzard thought. He shook his head to try and relieve himself of the forming tears. Now was not the time to be heartfelt. He snarled and growled at Benton, as if to say, "Bring it on!"

Benton stood up and snorted, wiping the blood from his lips and nose.

"In that case," he began, sinisterly, "you can die with him."

Suddenly, Benton's hands formed into spikes, and he shot them forward at Luffy, Chopper, and Blizzard.


	20. Ch 19: Hellfire

**Ch. 19- Hellfire**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

"JUMP!" Luffy cried, and he, Chopper, and Blizzard did just that, dodging the spike in time.

"RUMBLE!" Chopper exclaimed as he chomped on his Rumble Ball. **Crunch!**

"Gum Gum PISTOL!" Luffy shouted as he stretched his arm and punched Benton in the chest, only to have it get stuck once it turned into oil.

"Uh-oh," Luffy muttered as Benton pulled him in, snickering malevolently.

"How's this, kid?" he asked as he began to brutally punch Luffy in the face continuously. Despite being made of rubber, Luffy was obviously taking some damage judging by how bruised he was getting. He even coughed up a little blood.

"What's wrong, kid?" Benton asked, laughing. "What happened to all that vigor you had earlier?"

"Cloven ROSE!"

**POW!** Chopper, in Arm Point form, slammed his iron hooves into Benton's side, followed by Blizzard tackling him in the shoulder, catching him completely off guard.

Luffy managed to get his fist free from Benton's chest by the time Chopper and Blizzard attacked, but he wasn't done yet. Enlarging his head, Luffy opened his now huge mouth as wide as possible.

"MOVE!" warned Chopper before he and Blizzard wisely moved out of the way.

"Gum Gum MUNCH MUNCH!"

**CHOMP!** Luffy bites off the top half of Benton's body, making it turn to oil as he did.

"You did it, Luffy!" cheered Chopper. "You beat him!"

Suddenly, Luffy began to feel sick. The taste of the oil was really making his stomach turn. He opened his mouth and out poured a huge puddle of oil.

"Ew~!" Chopper cried in disgust.

Even Blizzard felt sick from having to watch that.

Luffy, his head having shrunk back to normal size, fell to his knees and coughed, clutching his stomach.

"Oh, man," he muttered. "I gotta remind myself not to do that, again."

Blizzard and Chopper ran to Luffy's side.

"You okay, Luffy?" Chopper asked.

"Aside from an upset stomach," Luffy began, "just fine."

"You ought not to have done that, boy."

The trio looked up to see the puddle slithering back to the lower half of Benton's body, reforming the traitorous pirate.

"Now you're really pissing me off," Benton seethed.

Suddenly, his hand formed into another spike. With a battle cry, he charged forward, preparing to impale Luffy with it.

"Let me handle this!" Chopper yelled before shifted into Horn Point and charged forward himself, antlers-down. "Roseo COLONNADE!"

Chopper scooped Benton into his horns, once again catching him off guard, and pinned him against the wall.

"I've got him!" he said before he shoved Benton through the wall, creating a huge hole. He shifted into Brain Point and backed away.

"So…is it over?" he asked.

"No…" Luffy answered. "It's not over yet."

Blizzard growled and snarled, preparing for anything that could be thrown his way.

Suddenly, out of the hole in the wall, a huge hammer made of solidified oil came out and struck all three of them, sending them crashing through the wall behind them, out of the room, and onto the deck. It was so fast, Chopper couldn't shift to Guard Point in time!

While Luffy came out with only a few bruises, scratches, and some blood coming out of his mouth, Chopper was holding the left side of his chest, hissing in pain, and Blizzard had rather big splinters protruding from his now crimson-stained fur, and there was oil sticking to his skin. The blood and oil mixed into an oozy puddle beneath him.

Luffy stood up, holding his head before he turned to Chopper.

"You okay, Chopper?" he asked.

"No," Chopper answered. "They're not broken, but I'm sure a couple of my ribs are cracked."

"Maybe you ought to take a breather," Luffy said.

"No," Chopper protested. "I can still fight."

Blizzard growled as he staggered to his paws.

"You're getting a second wind, too, eh Blizzard?" asked Luffy.

Blizzard simply nodded.

Benton hobbled out of the Captain's Quarters, and there was blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. It was evident that Chopper's Roseo Colonnade did some, though not as effective, damage.

"I gotta admit," Benton said with a sinister grin. "That actually hurt."

Luffy wiped the blood from his lips before he made a grin of his own.

"Yeah?" he asked. "Well this is gonna hurt worse!"

**SPROOING!** Luffy stretched his arms toward Benton, who ducked at the last second.

"You missed him!" Chopper exclaimed.

"I wasn't aiming for him," Luffy said.

Looking up, Chopper saw that Luffy had grabbed the mizzen-mast behind Benton.

"Gum Gum…FLOWER ARRANGEMENT!"

**CRRRUUUNCH!** With a mighty pull, Luffy tore the mizzen-mast off and pulled it toward Benton, and as he did, it impaled him through his back and stomach. If the pirate hadn't had turned to oil in time, he would've certainly been killed on the spot.

_THE MAST!_ Blizzard gasped in his head.

Benton growled in annoyance and frustration as he began to pry the mizzen-mast out of himself and solidify.

"You DAMN PRICKS!" Benton cursed at the trio before he threw the broken, slippery mast into the deck.

**CRACK!** The floor broke beneath them.

"Uh-oh," Luffy muttered.

**CRASH!** Luffy, Chopper, Blizzard, and Benton all fell through the floor to the lower deck, into the stock room.

Benton was the first to stand up, and he didn't see hide or hair of Luffy, Chopper, or Blizzard. There was just a large cloud of dust all around.

"Seems I finally got rid of those pests," Benton mumbled.

"Wanna bet?"

Benton's eyes widened when he saw Blizzard lunge out at him from the dust cloud. However, this time, Benton was prepared. Blizzard slipped right through him the moment his torso turned to oil and he fell behind him, knocking headfirst into a wall.

He was really bloody, this time, and the oil and blood became more slimy and slippery.

At that moment, he knew this couldn't go on forever.

_Benton's too powerful with his Devil Fruit ability,_ Blizzard thought. _If we had some seastone, we could beat him! C'mon, think! Aside from the sea, what is Benton really weak against?_

A pause came.

Just then, Blizzard's face lit up.

_That's it!_ he exclaimed in thought.

Wasting no time, Blizzard staggered to his paws before he ran off to who-knows-where.

"Blizzard!" Chopper called. "Where are you going? Come back!"

"Well, well, well," Benton said, snickering. "Looks like Blizzard's decided to chicken out!" He turned back to Luffy and Chopper. "Looks like it's just you and me now, boys."

Luffy took a fighting stance and looked to Chopper, who coughed up a little blood. When he fell through the floor, he had actually broken a couple of ribs.

"Chopper," Luffy said, "stay out of this. You're too hurt."

"Okay," Chopper hissed slightly before he sat himself against a wall to try and rest.

Luffy looked back at Benton, whose arms turned into oil. He suddenly threw them forward, spewing the oil at Luffy. The boy managed to jump over the large stream before he leapt at him with a battle cry.

XXX

Blizzard ran through one of the ship's hallways. He was certain he could find whatever it is he was looking for down here.

_Where is it?_ he asked himself in thought. _Where is it?_

Just then, he spotted something nearby.

_There!_

XXX

"Gum Gum STAMP!"

Luffy shot his food forward, stamping it into Benton's chest, but it got stuck. He tried to pull it out, but Benton grabbed his ankle, pulled it out for him, and then threw him against a wall.

Luffy stood up, coughing up a little blood, before he faced Benton. Putting his hand to his shoulder, Luffy shot his arm forward.

"Gum Gum PISTOL!"

Benton formed his arm into an elongated sharp spike and shot it at Luffy.

The attacks hit. Luffy managed to hit Benton in the face, but Benton had managed to stab Luffy in his left side. Benton retracted the spike from the rubber-boy. Luffy staggered and stumbled back, accidentally slipping on a puddle of oil and holding his wound as he did.

Looking at Benton, Luffy saw that he only had a few scratches on him, while he, Chopper, and Blizzard were suffering the most during this battle.

This was really getting them nowhere!

"Face it, kid," said Benton with a sick grin before he grabbed Luffy by the throat and pinned him to the wall. "Since I'm made of oil, I'm totally invincible! You can't so much as lay one scratch on me without getting yourself killed first!"

Luffy growled at Benton as his hand turned to oil, attempting to smother him to death.

Just then, he spotted Blizzard reappear behind Benton, standing by an oil puddle, and in his mouth…was a lit oil lantern.

Luffy looked confused at first, but then he smirked.

"You're forgetting one thing, scumbag," he said. "There's one other weakness to oil besides the sea."

"Oh?" questioned Benton, nonchalantly. "And what would that be?"

"Oil…burns," Luffy answered him before he looked to Blizzard. "NOW!"

Benton looked back to see Blizzard…about to throw the lantern into the oil! His eyes went wide and bloodshot, a vein appeared on his head, and he gritted his teeth so hard, they seemed to crack. He even dropped Luffy in his shock.

Before Benton could do anything to stop him, Blizzard threw the lantern into the oil, causing the glass to shatter.

**FWOOOSH!** The lantern exploded into a large ball of fire, forcing Blizzard, Chopper, and Luffy to shield their eyes.

Hungry flames began to spread faster than expected due to all the oil that Benton had spilled during the fight, engulfing barrels, crates, and sacks. As if they weren't satisfied with those, the flames practically leapt at Benton.

"AH!" Benton yelped as he tried to put out the flames by patting on his clothes, but all that did was make them grow bigger.

His Devil Fruit powers had completely backfired on him.

As Benton struggled to put out the flames, Luffy got in front of Blizzard, facing Benton.

"Blizzard!" Luffy called to the wolf-dog. "Get ready! I'm gonna throw you!"

Blizzard barked, telling Luffy that he was prepared.

Luffy stretched his arms back, seemingly preparing a Gum Gum Bazooka, but then he grabbed Blizzard by the scruff of his neck.

"Gum…Gum…" Luffy pulled Blizzard forward, over his head, and launched him straight at Benton, "WHITE ARROW!"

Blizzard flew at Benton with fangs exposed before he spun around and around like a horizontal top.

**KRRRNCH!** Blizzard bit down on Benton's shoulder, bone breaking on contact. Spinning around like that had increased his bite force twofold, and due to Benton now being on fire, he was now completely vulnerable to physical attacks.

Benton was sent crashing through the wall, where he rolled around, screaming in agony before the flames completely engulfed him.

A fitting demise for a demon like him: to be burned in the hellfire.


	21. Ch 20: A Wolf's Tears

**Ch. 20- A Wolf's Tears**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

"LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!" yelled Luffy over the flames.

Chopper, shifting into Walk Point form, climbed up the broken mizzen-mast and headed to the upper deck, ignoring the pain in his chest.

Luffy and Blizzard followed behind as the flames grew, but it appeared that Lady Luck was not going to be on the former's side, this time. He tried to keep his head beneath the smoke as he ran, but it was much too thick. His eyes watered and went bloodshot, and he started to go into a coughing fit.

"Blizzard…!" Luffy called to the wolf-dog with a cough. "Wait up!"

**Thud!** Luffy fell forward, panting heavily.

Blizzard braked to a halt when he saw Luffy collapse before he turned tail and ran back to him. He nudged Luffy in the side, attempting to get him to stand up, but it appeared that the fight with Benton had finally taken its toll.

Blizzard furrowed his brow.

Luffy's helped me so much since we met, Blizzard thought to himself. Now it's high time I returned the favor!

With another nudge, he managed to wake Luffy up, again. Shakily, Luffy struggled to get a grip on the scruff of blood-and-oil-stained fur, but once he did, he hoisted himself up on Blizzard's back. He coughed and gasped, a sliver of saliva streaming from his mouth before he weakly pointed forward.

"Go on, Blizzard," Luffy commanded. "Go…!"

Blizzard dashed off with Luffy in tow.

XXX

Outside, Hillary had seen the huge plumes of smoke coming from The Wolf-Song and came out to investigate. The rest of the Straw Hat crew, having sent the other pirates packing, also gathered. At that moment, Usopp saw something jump down from the prow.

It was Chopper. The reindeer staggered slightly once he landed, due to his broken ribs, but he managed to stay on his hooves before he shifted back into Brain Point, with some effort.

"You okay?" Nami asked.

"Aside from a couple of broken ribs," Chopper joked, "I'm okay."

Zoro looked around, and was the first to notice that someone was missing.

"Wait a minute," he said. "Where's Luffy?"

"And Blizzard?" added Hillary.

Chopper gasped and looked back to the flaming ship.

"They must still be inside!" the reindeer exclaimed.

"You left Luffy behind?" Zoro barked.

"Zoro, it's not his fault!" said Nami.

"Yeah!" Usopp agreed. "He probably panicked!"

Zoro growled as he faced the ship again, prepared to jump into the flames and get his captain out…

But he soon saw there was no need.

Blizzard appeared from the fire with Luffy still lying on his back, unconscious. Their bodies were covered in cuts, bruises, and minor burns, and Luffy's clothes had become singed. In Blizzard's mouth…was Robby's Jolly Roger.

"Blizzard!" Hillary cried.

"And Luffy!" Chopper added. "He's got Luffy!"

With some effort, Blizzard jumped down from the prow and landed before the group. Zoro was the first to take Luffy into his arms and began to shake him awake.

"Luffy!" the swordsman called. "Luffy! Can you hear me? C'mon, captain, talk to me! Luffy!"

No answer came. Zoro put his ear to the rubber-man's chest. His eyes went wide.

"He's not breathing!" he shouted.

"WHAT?" Chopper cried before he went into panic mode. "Oh, no! This is terrible! Luffy's dying! QUICKLY! SOMEONE GET A DOCTOR!"

**WHAP!** Usopp slapped him in the back of his head.

"You're the doctor!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah!" Chopper said before he took Luffy's hand into his hooves, one placed on his wrist. "He's still got a pulse!" he said. "He must be suffering from smoke intake! We have to put him on life support, now!"

The Straw Hats carried Luffy to the Thousand Sunny, leaving Hillary and Blizzard to watch The Wolf-Song burn away. A slight breeze blew, ruffling Blizzard's fur and Hillary's hair.

"**Forgive me."**

(A/N: Cue "Mother Sea" from the One Piece soundtrack)

Blizzard's ears perked and his lips parted slightly in surprise. Hillary gasped, as well.

"R…Robby…?" she whispered.

"**Forgive me, Blizzard…I'm so sorry I made you wait all this time for nothing."**

Blizzard lowered his ears and tucked his tail between his legs. He was so stunned at what he was hearing, that he had absentmindedly dropped Robby's flag on the ground.

Robby was speaking to him from the great beyond.

"**I tried, Blizzard…I really tried to come back, but Benton…he couldn't understand. He could never understand…but I was happy…I was so happy that I had such a truly loyal friend like you…Thank you."**

Blizzard's eyes welled up to the brim with tears and his nose began to run as images of Robby and himself seemed to burn away in his mind. He felt so many emotions exploding in his breaking heart: anger, turmoil, and most of all…sadness.

_**AAAARRROOOO~!**_ Blizzard let out a long, sad, anguished howl at The Wolf-Song.

Hillary had a hand gripped to her face, as if it were about to fall off, with rivers of tears cascading from her eyes.

Damn it…! she cursed in her head.

On the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hats had gathered at the portside bow upon hearing the wolf-dog's mournful howling.

Chopper felt tears beginning to form in his eyes, and he sniffled, his blue nose starting to run.

"Poor Blizzard," he said, his voice cracking.

"He sounds so broken up," Nami added, tear droplets falling from her face.

"BWAAAA~!" Franky bawled as he furiously wiped the tears from his eyes. "POOR SNOWY~!"

Zoro could only turn away, chewing his lip and keeping his eyes tightly shut, trying hard to keep himself from going into tears. Sanji tried to light a cigarette to calm his nerves, but his hands were shaking so much from hearing Blizzard's cries, he couldn't get it lit. He didn't even realize that he had a few tears in his eye, too.

"Crap…!" cursed the cook.

Robin lowered her head with her arms crossed against her chest and her eyes shut to keep her tears from escaping. Usopp was silently sobbing as he tried to dry his tears, himself.

In the sick bay, Luffy had been hooked up to a machine that counted his pulse and heart rate, and he had an oxygen mask over his mouth to help him breathe. However, as he slept, a single teardrop trickled down his face.

Blizzard continued with his howling as the flames consumed the ship.

**CREEEAAK!** The wood of the ship finally grew weak and collapsed before it sank lower and lower into the water, never to be seen again.

Blizzard stopped howling once The Wolf-Song was completely submerged underwater. Just then, he felt legs give under his weight. They buckled beneath him and he collapsed on the cobblestone.

The fight with Benton had finally caught up with him.

Hillary gasped.

"OH MY GOD, BLIZZARD!" she cried.

The Straw Hats gasped, as well, and ran to the wolf-dog's aid.


	22. Ch 21: Go Have an Adventure

**Ch. 21- Go Have an Adventure**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

(A/N: Blizzard will talk again in this chapter)

It was dark. Very dark. So dark that he felt like he was going nowhere.

Blizzard has been walking through this void for what seemed like hours, now, and it was getting very annoying…not to mention a little scary.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared before him.

Adjusting his eyes to the light, Blizzard saw that it was Robby, bathed in a heavenly glow.

"Master!" Blizzard cheered before he ran into Robby's arms and licked his face like there was no tomorrow.

Robby just laughed as he gently pet Blizzard.

"It's good to see you, again, too, boy," said Robby. "Listen, again, I'm sorry for making you wait. It's just that…I never wanted you to end up a criminal in the first place. Besides, that dog I saw in the battlefield that day…wasn't you."

"It's okay," Blizzard said. "I understand, Master."

"Even though I only knew you for a few months," Robby began, "I was glad that I met you. My life has been an adventure just having you with me. Blizzard…thank you so much for holding out for as long as you could."

Blizzard smiled.

"Now," Robby said as he stood up, "since you've given me an adventure, it's time you went out and had one of your own!"

Blizzard's smile grew wider.

"I think I know just who to have it with," he said.

Robby smiled before he gently pet Blizzard on the head, and then he turned to leave.

"Goodbye, Blizzard," he said.

Blizzard smiled and turned to leave, himself.

"Goodbye, Master," he said. "I'll never forget you."


	23. Ch 22: Departure

**Ch. 22- Departure**

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

Blizzard opened his eyes to see that he was in a room. One of the guest rooms, to be exact. Slowly, he stood up on the bed and looked himself over. There were bandages around his legs, paws, hips, and head.

**ZZZZZ!**

Blizzard's ears twitched at the sound of that snoring, and he gasped silently. He knew that snore!

Looking over his shoulder, he saw that it was Luffy at 100%!

The boy had his head laying against the bed, and a puddle of drool had formed on the sheets as he snored.

Blizzard panted and wagged his tail, happy to see that Luffy is very much alive. Deciding that he wouldn't wake up on his own, Blizzard approached Luffy and licked his face until he stirred.

Luffy propped himself up on one hand while using the other to wipe the wolf-dog slobber off his face.

At that moment, he noticed Blizzard, sitting on the bed, panting happily. He gasped and smiled, now fully awake.

"BLIZZARD!" Luffy cheered. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

Blizzard jumped at Luffy, once again saturating his face in slobber.

"Okay, Blizzard!" Luffy said as the wolf-dog licked him. "Okay! I get it! You're happy to see me, and I'm happy to see you, too!"

Just then, Chopper and Hillary entered.

"Oh, Blizzard!" said Hillary. "You're okay!"

"Thank goodness," said Chopper, who had bandages wrapped around his chest. "That fight took a lot outta you! You were asleep for 15 hours! I was afraid you wouldn't wake up!"

Blizzard growled lightly, as if to say thanks.

Chopper just blushed and wiggled around.

"Oh, shut up!" the little reindeer said, giddily. "Why would you think that saying thank you would make me happy? You bastard!"

"You look pretty happy to me," said Luffy.

"The one you should really be thanking, Blizzard," Hillary began, "is Captain Luffy. He stayed by your bedside all night once he woke up."

~Flashback~

It was late yesterday night that Luffy had awakened.

When he heard that Blizzard had saved his life, he immediately rushed into the mayoral house. He saw the bandaged wolf-dog laying in the middle bed. He sat down in a chair, watching Blizzard sleep.

"Luffy?"

Luffy looked to the door to see Nami enter.

"Chopper says that Blizzard is gonna be asleep for a while," the navigator explained. "Maybe you should let him rest."

"No," Luffy answered. "I'm not leaving him…he saved my life, Nami."

"I understand," Nami said, "but…you know what? Forget it, Luffy. Do whatever!"

With that, she left the room to go to sleep for the night.

Luffy rested his arms and head on the bed, gazing at Blizzard with soft, sad eyes.

_C'mon,_ he thought. _Hurry up and get better._

~Flashback End~

Luffy gently pet Blizzard on the head.

"Glad to see you're okay, boy," Luffy said. "I'm sorry about Robby, though."

Blizzard lowered his ears upon being reminded of his now late master.

"But hey!" called Luffy. "On the upside, we've got a surprise for you in the backyard! Come see!

XXX

Out in the garden in the backyard, the rest of the Straw Hats had gathered there.

"Where are those two?" asked Nami, irritably. "Today's the day the log sets! We have to leave, now!"

"Just be patient, Nami," Usopp said. "Blizzard's probably not awake yet!"

"Oh, he's awake," retorted Nami. "I just heard Luffy saying so."

Sanji let out a heavy sigh.

"Nami's such a vision when she corrects people," he said, lovingly.

"Okay, Blizzard," Luffy's voice was heard nearby. "Follow us, and don't open your eyes, yet!"

Looking back, the crew saw Luffy and Chopper enter the garden with Blizzard following behind them, his eyes shut.

"C'mon, Blizzard," said Luffy as he led him to the others. "This way."

"Almost there," added Chopper.

"Closer….closer…okay, stop!" Luffy commanded. "Stop right there!"

Blizzard stopped in his tracks, his eyes still closed.

"Okay, now open your eyes!" Luffy said.

Blizzard opened his eyes, and once he did, his jaw dropped at what he saw: the Straw Hats standing in front of a life-size marble statue…of Robby, standing tall and proud.

"What do you think?" Luffy asked.

"It's a memorial statue of Robby!" Chopper said.

Blizzard stared at the statue in awe.

"I asked Franky to make it for you," explained Luffy before he approached the rosemary patch and picked something up. "It just needs one more little touch."

**SHUK!** Luffy pushed what looked like a stick into the ground, but it was actually Robby's Jolly Roger, swaying proudly in the breeze.

Blizzard watched with tearful eyes as the Straw Hats faced the memorial.

"A man is never truly dead until he is forgotten," said Luffy as he, Chopper, and Robin removed their hats and placed them against their hearts. The Straw Hats lowered their heads in silent prayer.

Just then, Hillary entered, out-of-breath.

"Captain Luffy!" she called, interrupting the crew's prayer.

"What?" questioned Luffy, bluntly. "We're praying here!"

"I can see that," said Hillary, "but you have to leave, immediately!"

"We know we have to leave," said Nami. "The log is set!"

"Not just that," Hillary replied. "I just got a call from Sir Darcy! He recognized your wanted posters and has ratted you all out to the Marines! They're on their way here!"

"WHAT?" Usopp shrieked.

"Oh, _that's_ perfect!" Nami cried, sarcastically.

Zoro, with a smirk, turned to Luffy.

"What do you suggest we do, captain?" the swordsman asked him.

Luffy turned back to Zoro, sporting a grin of his own.

"What do you think we're gonna do?" he asked. "Haul ass outta here, of course! Okay, Straw Hat crew! Let's go, go, GO!"

"Right!" the crew shouted in reply.

With that being said, the crew made a mad dash for the pier, but Luffy braked to a halt and turned to Hillary and Blizzard.

"Bye, Miss Mayor!" he said. "Thanks a lot for letting us stay!"

"You're very welcome!" said Hillary. "Don't be strangers, you hear?"

Luffy smiled before he went off to prepare the _Thousand Sunny_ for departure.

Hillary watched as the Straw Hats made their escape, and then turned to Blizzard, whose gaze was still on Robby's memorial.

XXX

About three minutes later, Hillary walked through the hallway of her house, heading to her office to do some paperwork, but as she passed the kitchen, she heard a cluttering sound. At first, she thought it was Luffy coming back in for a last minute snack, but when she looked in the kitchen, she saw that it was not Luffy, but Blizzard, placing a bowl with his name on it in a scarf, which had various other objects in it, such as a water bowl, a few cans of dog food, his gold whistle, and several rubber toys.

"Blizzard," Hillary began as she approached him. "What are you doing?"

Blizzard stared intently at Hillary, his cherry blossom pink eyes looking deep, hard, and somewhat sadly into her hazel orbs. It was then that she realized what he was about to do.

"I see," she said simply before she knelt down, gently taking his muzzle into her hands. "There's no reason for you to stay anymore, is there?"

Blizzard shook his head, "no".

Hillary just smiled…sadly. Then she wrapped her arms around the wolf-dog's neck. She buried her face in his fur so he wouldn't see her tears, but Blizzard could tell that she was crying, for she was shaking slightly and he could feel her tears dampen his fur.

"I'll miss you," was all she could say.

XXX

At the pier, the Straw Hats were making preparations to shove off.

"Unfurl the sails!" Luffy ordered. "Weigh anchor! Franky, take the helm! We're heading out!"

Chopper, in Heavy Point form, had just finished unfurling the aft sail, but as he did, he spotted something from the stern.

It was Blizzard, with a large bag tied around his neck.

"Hey!" Chopper called. "Blizzard's here!"

The crew gathered to the stern and saw Blizzard, just standing on the cobblestones.

"What's he doing here?" Nami asked.

"Dunno," Usopp answered.

"Maybe he came to see us off…?" Sanji questioned.

"No," Luffy answered as a smile crept upon his lips. "That's not it…!"

Blizzard backed up about five feet, and then took a running start at breakneck speed. Before the crew knew what happened, Blizzard had taken a humongous leap off the ground, over the rail, and pinned Luffy to the deck. The air was soon filled with high-pitched squeals of laughter as Blizzard bombarded Luffy with kisses.

"Blizzard!" Luffy cheered. "You made it!"

With a light shove, Luffy pushed Blizzard off of himself, giving him room to sit up. He untied the bag around the wolf-dog's neck and let it drop on the deck, revealing the items he had packed.

"What's all this stuff?" asked Zoro. "Squeak toys?"

"A dog whistle?" Chopper added.

"Dog food?" questioned Usopp.

"Food and water bowls?" Franky asked.

"Hey, Luffy!" Nami called to her captain. "This freeloading mutt thinks he's going with us!"

Luffy chuckled nervously as he stood up and scratched his head.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "I forgot to tell you that I asked Blizzard to join us."

"YOU _WHAT?_" the crew yelled, sans Robin.

"Luffy, you always do stuff like this!" Nami exclaimed. "I'm sorry, but Blizzard can't come with us!"

"Huh?" Luffy asked. "Why not?"

"One," Sanji began, "I don't want another mouth to feed on this ship! Two: he's probably a bigger pig than you are!"

"Oh, c'mon," Luffy whined. "Please?"

"Luffy, the answer is no!" Nami snapped.

"Pretty please?"

"No!"

"Pretty please with meat on top?"

"NO!" Nami barked. "Listen, Luffy! It's not that I don't like Blizzard, it's just that dogs can be so much work! They can be filthy and get covered with fleas and ticks and stuff! Not to mention they slobber! Besides, we've already got enough animals running around on this ship, and I don't meant just Chopper!"

**Ahem.** Chopper cleared his throat, causing Nami to turn to him, chuckling nervously.

"No offense," she said.

"None taken," Chopper replied.

"I'm sorry, Luffy," Nami apologized as she turned back to the captain, "but we can't keep the dog!"

Luffy slumped, defeated.

"It's no fair!" he whined. "I never had a dog when I was a kid! I just thought that if Blizzard joined up, he'd be our guard dog or something!"

Nami suddenly froze up when she heard "guard dog".

At that moment, what Luffy had said seemed to make sense. If they had a guard dog, they wouldn't have to worry about their things getting stolen while they docked at any islands, and to Nami, some of those things meant treasure.

Suddenly, Nami grabbed Luffy by his head and twisted it to look inside his ear.

"Nami?" Luffy asked. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find this heroic brain cell of yours that managed to fight through all the ignorance to give you such a simply brilliant idea," answered Nami.

"Um…I think it died," Luffy said simply.

"What a pity," Nami said before she sighed. "Fine, Luffy. We can keep Blizzard."

Luffy jumped up and cheered, as did Chopper.

"But listen, Luffy!" Nami called. "I don't want to be the one to end up taking care of Blizzard! He's your responsibility! You hear me? Not mine, not Zoro's, not Usopp's, not Sanji's, not Chopper's, not Robin's, and not Franky's! _Yours!_ You have to feed him, give him water, and pick up his you-know-what after him! You promise?"

Luffy made a cross formation over his chest.

"Cross my heart and hope to die," he said.

"Good," Nami said with a smile.

The rest of the Straw Hats couldn't help but smile, either as Blizzard jumped into Luffy's arms. The latter smiled and simply said…

"Welcome to the crew, Blizzard."

Blizzard wagged his tail happily as he was pulled into a loving embrace by his new master.

"Okay, you guys!" Luffy yelled as he stood. "Let's set sail! Fishman Island, here we come!"

"YEAH!" the crew yelled back in agreement.

And so, with a new member on the _Thousand Sunny_, the Straw Hat Pirates head off into the open sea. The latest chapters of Blizzard's adventures with his newfound friends…were about to begin.

THE END


	24. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

One Piece © Me

Blizzard © Me

It was a sunny day on Rivet Island. The birds sang their sweet songs as they perched themselves in the trees. The townspeople were walking through the cobblestones streets, going on with their lives.

However, some people would often stop and visit their mayor's garden to see the Robby Rivet memorial statue with the Jolly Roger flowing proudly in the wind.

Mayor Hillary was in her office, looking over some envelopes until a certain one caught her eye.

This one envelope was sealed with a skull-and-crossbones wearing a straw hat.

She smiled before she picked up her letter opener and ripped it open, pulling out the letter within.

This is what it said:

_Dear Mayor Hillary,_

_How've you been?_

_It's been a while since you last heard from us._

_Just writing to let you know that Blizzard is doing fine, and things have been a bit more lively than usual since he came. It turns out he's just what the crew needed._

_Not only is he a great guard dog, but he keeps Luffy busy when Usopp and Chopper can't play with him. I think Luffy can learn a lesson in responsibility from him, too._

_Franky has installed some dog doors so Blizzard can come in and go out of a room whenever he chooses._

_Unfortunately, food is running out faster than usual since Blizzard joined us, especially meat and peanut butter._

_Either way, Blizzard is very happy with us._

_Well, I better stop here before I start rambling._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Nami of the Straw Hat Pirates_

_P.S: Luffy says "hi"._

Hillary chuckled as she finished reading the letter, and then set it down.

"As long as you're happy, Blizzard," she began, "I don't care where you are."

XXX

It was another usual day on the _Thousand Sunny_.

Nami was working on her maps.

Zoro was up in the crow's nest, lazily watching the outside from the window.

Usopp was fishing with Chopper.

Sanji was currently cleaning the kitchen due to a messy incident with some peanut butter.

Robin was in the library, reading the new books she had gotten from Rivet Island.

Franky was below deck, currently working on a new cola-powered weapon.

As for Luffy, he was currently in the bathhouse with Blizzard. Why? To get rid of the peanut butter, of course!

Back with Nami, she dipped her quill back into her ink bottle before she put the finishing touches on her latest map.

"There," she said, satisfied. "Perfect! I've really outdone myself this time!"

As she pinned her map to the bulletin board, she heard footsteps coming from outside.

"Blizzard! Come back here! You're not done! I gotta rinse off the suds, first!"

Nami turned to the door upon hearing her captain's voice.

"Now what's that moron up to?" she asked herself.

**SLAM!** The door flew open, revealing Blizzard, his fur soaked and covered in soapy bubbles.

However, he was not the one who caught Nami's attention.

Luffy was soaked to the bone, his messy hair drooping from the water, and his bare body was covered in suds.

Luffy was standing there, naked, before Nami's eyes.

"AAAAAAAAH~!" Nami screamed.

"What are you screaming for?" asked Luffy.

"GET OUT!" Nami roared as she threw the trash can at him, causing him to duck at the last second. "GET OUT, RIGHT NOW, YOU IDIOT!"

Luffy and Blizzard yelped as Nami bombarded them with various objects before they ran away from her wrath.

By that time, Sanji came out upon hearing Nami screaming.

"Hey, what the hell's going out he- HOLY CRAP! LUFFY, YOU JACKASS! DO YOU REALLY HAVE NO CLASS? YOU'RE NAKED! HAVE A LITTLE DECENCY!"

Usopp and Chopper were the only ones who found this funny, as they were currently rolling around on the deck, flailing with laughter.

Oh, yes. Things have definitely become much more lively since Blizzard had joined.


End file.
